Basketball Triumph
by 7th Heaven
Summary: There is no such thing as a normal day when it comes to the Camden kids. An ordinary day for Mary Camden truns drastic during a basketball game. What happens?
1. A Normal Day?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own 7th Heaven or the characters. They are property of Aaron Spelling, Brenda Hampton and the WB.

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**Basketball Triumph**

**_Chapter 1_**

It started like any normal day. Matt, Mary, Lucy, Simon, and Ruthie all got up and got ready for school, ate breakfast, and rushed to the car to just make it to school on time.

Matt dropped Ruthie off at the elementary school and Simon off at the middle school and then he headed to the high school along with Lucy and Mary.

A day at school started off like any other for Mary Camden. She went to her locker to get ready for class where her friends greeted her.

"Hey Mary," said one of her friends.

"Hey guys," Mary responded.

"Are you ready for the test in Biology today?" asked one of her friends.

"I don't know, I didn't get much studying done last night because I didn't feel well, but I feel fine now," Mary told her friend. Just then, the bell to go to class rang.

"Bye, talk to you guys later," Mary yelled as she headed to her first class.

"Bye," her friends yelled back.

Once she got to her first class, which happened to be Trigonometry, she took her seat and the teacher started taking attendance.

"Kelly Cadson"

"here," she responded.

"Mariah Cambridge"

"here" she responded.

"Mary Camden"

"here," she responded. After her teacher had taken attendance, the students handed in their homework assignment from the previous day. Then, the teacher introduced them to a new lesson. Mary thought that this lesson was harder then the last one. When her teacher was done teaching the lesson, he gave them their homework for that night.

When the bell rang to go to the next class, Mary returned to her locker to put away her book from Trigonometry and get her book for Spanish. It was not until then that she suddenly started to feel sick again. She ran into the bathroom and threw up. _This is not good, I better go see the nurse _she thought to herself as she exited the girls' bathroom.

As Mary headed down the hall towards the nurses' office, she spotted one of her friends that she had Spanish with.

"Hilary," Mary shouted.

"Hey Mary," Hilary said.

"Can you tell Mr. Johnson that I will be late for class?" Mary asked.

"Sure," Hilary responded.

"Are you okay?" she asked Mary.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Mary lied. With that, she headed to the nurses' office.

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**Authors Note: **When reviewing, please NO SWARING OR FOUL LANGUAGE. Constructive criticism is welcome but please keep it clean. Thanks.


	2. The Nurse's Office

_**Chapter 2 **_

When Mary got to the nurse's office, the nurse asked her what was wrong. She said that she did not feel well and that she hadn't the night before either. She also added that she had thrown up. The nurse then took her temperature and there was no indication that she had a fever.

"You don't have a fever, but I think that you should go home," the nurse told Mary.

"Okay," Mary said.

"Go call your parents to come pick you up," said the nurse.

"All right," Mary responded. With that, she went to call her mom.

"Mom?" Mary asked.

"Mary?" Mrs. Camden asked, "What's wrong?"

"I don't feel well again and I threw up," Mary said.

"Okay, I'll be there in ten minutes to pick you up," Mrs. Camden told Mary.

"Okay, bye Mom." Mary said as she hung up.

After Mary got off the phone with her mom, she took a seat and waited for her to come get her. While she was waiting, Mary saw Lucy pass the nurses office; little did she know that Lucy saw her too.

Lucy entered the nurse's office to see what was wrong with her sister.

"What's wrong, Mary?" Lucy asked in a concerned voice.

"I don't feel well again," Mary told Lucy,

"Mom is coming to pick me up in ten minutes."

"Do you want me to stay here with you?" asked Lucy.

"No, I'm fine," Mary reassured her sister, "can you get my homework for me though?" she asked.

"Sure," Lucy responded.

When Mrs. Camden arrived to the nurse's office to pick up Mary, she saw Lucy sitting next to Mary and she suddenly got very concerned.

"Luce, what's wrong?" Mrs. Camden asked her daughter.

"Nothing Mom, I'm fine," said Lucy, "I was just waiting with Mary until you got here," Lucy told her mother.

"Okay," Mrs. Camden replied.

"Mary, you ready to go?" Mrs. Camden asked her.

"Yeah, I just have to let the office know that I am going home," said Mary.

"Okay," said Mrs. Camden. With that, Mary and Mrs. Camden went to the office to let them know that Mary was going home. After that, they headed home.

Once they had gotten home, Mary went straight up to her room to take a nap. While Mary was doing that, Mrs. Camden decided to call Reverend Camden at the church.

"Hello?" asked the reverend.

"Hi," replied Mrs. Camden.

"Mary got sick again and I went and got her at school" said Mrs. Camden, "she is upstairs sleeping right now."

"Do you want me to come home?" Reverend Camden asked his wife.

"No, that's okay," replied Mrs. Camden.

"Okay, bye," said Reverend Camden. "Bye," said Mrs. Camden as she hung up the phone.

Once off the phone, Mrs. Camden decided that she would clean the house for a while and then start dinner. After she had cleaned the house for about an hour, she decided that she better go check on Mary. She headed upstairs towards Mary and Lucy's bedroom. When she entered the room, she heard Mary lying on her bed crying. Mrs. Camden walked over and sat on the edge of Mary's bed.

"Mary, what's wrong?" Mrs. Camden asked.

"I can't sleep," Mary sobbed. Concerned now, Mrs. Camden put her hand on Mary's forehead and noticed that she felt hot. She then went to get some medicine.

A few minutes later, she returned to Mary's room with the medicine. Mary took it and Mrs. Camden told her to try and get some rest and that she would wake her when dinner was ready.


	3. What's Wrong With Mary?

_**Chapter 3**_

Mrs. Camden then went downstairs to start dinner. She knew that the rest of the kids would be home soon and would be hungry. About a half an hour later, the kids came running through the door.

"When is dinner going to be ready?" Lucy asked.

"In a little while" Mrs. Camden replied.

"Where's Mary?" asked Matt, "she was not at school when I came to pick up the kids."

"She got sick at school so, I came and picked her up," Mrs. Camden told Matt.

"Is she okay?" Matt asked his mother.

"Yeah, she's fine, she just has a slight fever," Mrs. Camden replied.

Matt decided to go upstairs and do his homework until dinner was ready. Meanwhile, Lucy also was in her room doing her homework, making sure that she did not wake up Mary who was sleeping peacefully. Mrs. Camden was downstairs when Reverend Camden walked through the door.

"How's Mary?" Reverend Camden asked his wife.

"She's fine, she just has a slight fever," said Mrs. Camden.

"Okay," said Reverend Camden. With that, Mrs. Camden went back to making dinner. Once she was done, she called the kids down.

"Simon, Ruthie, Lucy, Matt, dinner's ready!" Mrs. Camden called up the stairs. A few minutes later, all the kids entered the kitchen.

"Lucy, can you go wake up Mary and tell her that dinner's ready?" Mrs. Camden asked Lucy.

"Sure, Mom," replied Lucy. With that, Lucy headed upstairs towards the room that she and Mary shared.

She quietly opened the door and walked over to the bed where Mary was sleeping.

"Mary, Mary, wake up," Lucy said trying to wake her sister. Finally, after a few moments, Mary began to wake up.

"What?" Mary asked sheepishly.

"Get up, it's time for dinner," Lucy replied.

"Okay," Mary responded. Lucy then went downstairs to join the others.

A few minutes later, Mary entered the kitchen to join the others for dinner. All through dinner, Mary didn't eat much. She was not that hungry.

"Are you okay?" Mrs. Camden asked Mary.

"Yeah, I am just not that hungry, may I be excused?" Mary asked her mother.

"Sure, honey," Mrs. Camden replied. With that, Mary excused herself from the table and headed upstairs to her room. Meanwhile, everyone else was starting to get worried about Mary; she wasn't eating, had a fever, and was throwing up.

"Mom, what do you think is wrong with Mary?" Simon asked.

"I don't know," replied Mrs. Camden.

"What do you think is wrong with Mary?" Reverend Camden asked his wife after dinner.

"I don't know, maybe it's the flu," Mrs. Camden replied.

"Maybe," commented Reverend Camden.

"Well, I am going to make an appointment for Mary tomorrow after school," said Mrs. Camden, "just to be safe." With that, Mrs. Camden went to the phone and dialed the number to their family doctor.

"Hello, Doctor Jacobs, this is Annie Camden and I would like to schedule an appointment for my daughter, Mary Camden after school tomorrow, if that would be possible," said Mrs. Camden.

"I have an opening at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon," Doctor Jacobs told Mrs. Camden.

"Great, thank you," Mrs. Camden said. Once she had hung up the phone, she turned to her husband, "Mary has an appointment at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon," Mrs. Camden told him.

"Good," he replied.

"Mary!" Mrs. Camden yelled up the stairs. Mary was upstairs taking a nap again, and Lucy was finishing her homework. She heard her mom call for Mary and decided that she would go see what she wanted since Mary was sleeping.

"Mom, what did you want to tell Mary?" Lucy asked once she reached the kitchen.

"Where is she?" Mrs. Camden asked Lucy.

"She is upstairs taking a nap," Lucy replied.

"Well, when she wakes up, tell her that she has a doctors appointment at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon, and that I will pick her up from school," Mrs. Camden told Lucy.

"Okay," Lucy replied and then headed back upstairs to finish the rest of her homework.


	4. Staying Home

_**Chapter 4**_

About two hours later, Mary woke up from her nap. She was feeling even worse then before. Her head was pounding and she felt sick to her stomach again.

"Hey Mary, are you feeling any better?" Lucy asked Mary once she had woken up.

"No, I feel worse, I have a pounding headache and I feel sick to my stomach again," Mary told her sister.

"Mom made you a doctor's appointment for tomorrow afternoon at 3:30. She is going to pick you up from school," Lucy told Mary.

"Oh, I almost forgot, here's your homework and you have to take your Biology test on Thursday," Lucy said as she gave Mary her homework for that night. _Good, that gives me two more days to study _Mary thought to herself.

Mary tried to do her homework, but she just couldn't concentrate and she was getting really frustrated trying. She rested her head in her hands, and started to cry. Lucy, who had already finished her homework, looked up from the book that she was reading.

"I hate this, I can't concentrate and my head is killing me," Mary sobbed.

"It's okay," Lucy said trying to comfort her sister. Just then, Mrs. Camden walked into the girls' room and noticed that Mary was crying again.

"Mare, what's wrong?" Mrs. Camden asked in concern.

"I feel worse, my head is pounding and I am sick to my stomach again," Mary said. Just then, Mary dashed from the room and ran to the bathroom. Once Mary returned, Mrs. Camden placed her hand on Mary's head and noticed that she was hotter then before.

"Your fever has gone up, I am going to go and get the thermometer and take your temperature again," Mrs. Camden said. Once she returned with the thermometer, she handed it to Mary to take her temperature with.

"Let me see," said Mrs. Camden once the thermometer had beeped. Mary handed Mrs. Camden the thermometer.

"102.5, that's pretty high, let me go get you some more medicine," said Mrs. Camden. Mary took the medicine and Mrs. Camden told her to go to bed and that she would see how she felt in the morning.

"But it's only 8:30," Mary complained.

"I know, but you need to rest in order to feel better," Mrs. Camden told Mary.

"What about my homework, I haven't finished it yet?"

"I will write a note to your teachers telling them that you did not get all of your homework done because you didn't feel well," Mrs. Camden told Mary. With that, Mrs. Camden and Lucy both left to let Mary go to bed.

"Mary, Mary, wake up" Lucy said shaking her sister, "it's 6:30," Lucy said.

"I don't want to," Mary told Lucy.

"You have to," Lucy told her sister.

"Okay, Okay," Mary, said, rolling over and getting out of bed. Lucy then went downstairs to have breakfast.

"Where's Mary?" Mrs. Camden asked when Lucy entered the kitchen.

"She is upstairs getting ready for school," Lucy told her mother. Mrs. Camden then went back to making the kids lunches. Meanwhile, Lucy poured herself some cereal and sat down at the table and started to eat.

A little while later, Mary entered the kitchen dressed and ready for school.

"Hey Mary, how are you feeling?" Mrs. Camden asked her, even though she knew the answer already. Mary had been up half the night vomiting, she looked as white as a ghost, and she had been coughing most of the night.

"Terrible," Mary managed to say just before coughing. Mrs. Camden placed her hand on Mary's forehead to check her temperature. She noticed that she was hot again, but that her fever had gone down.

"Let me take your temperature again," said Mrs. Camden. She then went and got the thermometer. She handed it to Mary and she took her temperature.

"101.2, I think that you should stay home from school and rest, I will call the school and tell them that you are sick and won't be coming in," Mrs. Camden told Mary.

After Mary had finished eating breakfast, she headed upstairs to finish her homework from the night before. Meanwhile, all the other kids and Reverend Camden headed to work and school while Mrs. Camden called Mary's school to let them know that she would not be there.

One hour later, once Mary was done with her homework, she entered the living room and turned on the TV.

"Mom, do you think that I will be able to play in my basketball game tonight?" Mary asked her mother, still flipping through the channels for something to watch.

"We will see how you feel and then your father and I will decide." Mrs. Camden replied. With that, Mary turned her attention back to the TV.

After watching TV for a while, Mary started to get sleepy. She laid down and shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Meanwhile, Mrs. Camden, who was talking on the phone didn't notice Mary asleep on the couch.

At about 1:00, Mary woke up from her nap and walked into the kitchen, where she found her mother making lunch.

"Hey Mare, how are you feeling?" Mrs. Camden asked her daughter.

"Better, but I am still really tired," Mary told her mother.

"Well, have some lunch and then you can go take a nap," Mrs. Camden told Mary.

"I am not hungry," Mary responded.

"You have to eat something," Mrs. Camden said, placing the soup that she had made on the kitchen counter for Mary.

"Fine," Mary responded, as she sat down at the kitchen counter.

After Mary finished eating, she returned to the living room and turned on the TV and searched the channels for something to watch. Once she found something, she sat back and relaxed.

"Mary, I am going to the grocery store to pick up something for dinner, you'll be fine by yourself right?" Mrs. Camden asked Mary.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Mary told her mother.

"Okay, I'll be home in about an hour, bye," Mrs. Camden yelled as she headed out the door.

"Bye," Mary yelled back.

About an hour later, Mrs. Camden walked in the door, carrying an armload of groceries.

"Mary!" Mrs. Camden yelled.

"Yeah," Mary responded.

"Can you help me with the groceries please?" Mrs. Camden asked.

"Sure," Mary told her mother as she headed to the kitchen, leaving the TV on.

"What were you watching?" Mrs. Camden asked Mary, as they unloaded the groceries.

"I was watching a movie," Mary told her mother.

"Oh," Mrs. Camden replied. After Mary was done helping her mother unload the groceries, she returned to the living room to finish watching the movie, but instead of watching the entire movie she drifted back to sleep again. Mrs. Camden, who was in the kitchen making dinner, didn't notice Mary asleep on the couch again.

It had been an hour since Mary had fallen asleep. Matt and the rest of the kids were now home from school.

"How's Mary?" asked Matt, who was helping his mother with the laundry.

"I don't know, she was in the living room watching TV, can you go check on her?" Mrs. Camden asked her son.

"Sure," Matt told his mother. With that, he headed towards the living room. When he got there, he noticed Mary asleep on the couch, with the TV still on. He picked up the blanket that was on the back of the couch and placed it over Mary and switched off the TV.

"She's in the living room asleep on the couch," Matt told his mother once he had returned from the living room.

"Okay," Mrs. Camden replied.

"Matt, can you take Mary to her doctor's appointment at 3:30? Your father won't be home until 4:30 and I need to stay home with the rest of the kids," Mrs. Camden asked Matt after a few moments.

"Sure," Matt told his mother, before heading up to his room to start his homework.


	5. Doctor's Appointment

_**Chapter 5**_

"Mary, Mary, wake up," Matt said trying to wake his sister, "we need to go to your doctor's appointment."

"Okay," Mary said, starting to wake up now, "are you taking me?" Mary asked confused.

"Yes, I am taking you, your appointments in twenty minutes,' Matt told her. With that, Mary headed into the kitchen where her mom greeted her.

"Hey Mare, how are you feeling?" Mrs. Camden asked Mary.

"Better," Mary told her mother.

"Do you want something to eat?" Mrs. Camden asked her.

"Sure, but something little, I don't know how much my stomach can handle," Mary replied.

"Still feeling nauseous?" Mrs. Camden asked.

"Yeah, just a little," Mary told her mother. Mary then went to the refrigerator to get stuff to make herself a sandwich. While Mary was making her sandwich, Ruthie, Simon and Lucy entered the kitchen.

"Are you feeling better?' Lucy asked Mary.

"Yeah," Mary told her sister.

"Mom, can we have a snack?" Simon asked his mother.

"Sure, there are cookies in the cookie jar," Mrs. Camden told her son. With that, Simon went over to the cookie jar to get a cookie each for him and Ruthie.

"Hey you two, have you finished your homework?" Mrs. Camden asked Ruthie and Simon before they had a chance to escape from the kitchen.

"No," replied Simon and Ruthie in unison.

"Well, go and do it now, okay," Mrs. Camden ordered.

"Okay," Simon and Ruthie both replied.

"Mom is it okay if I go out for awhile?" asked Lucy.

"Have you finished your homework?" Mrs. Camden asked her daughter.

"Yes, now can I go please?" Lucy asked again.

"Sure honey, just be home in time for dinner, dinner is at 5:30," Mrs. Camden replied.

"Okay," Lucy yelled back as she headed out the door.

"Mary, you ready to go?" Matt asked his sister once she was done with her sandwich.

"Yeah," Mary replied. With that, they both headed out the door to the car.

The car ride to the doctor's office was quiet. Once at the doctor's office, Matt told Mary to have a seat and wait while he went and checked her in. Once he was done checking Mary in, he came back and sat down next to her. They waited patiently for her name to be called, which seemed like forever. Finally, her name was called and she and Matt followed the nurse into a room.

"The doctor will be with you in a minute," the nurse told Matt and Mary before leaving. A few minutes later, the doctor entered the room.

"So what seems to be the problem?" Doctor Jacobs asked Mary.

"I have been really tired lately and I have not been very hungry lately either. I have also been throwing up and coughing a lot. I have also been running a high fever," Mary told Doctor Jacobs.

"And how long has this been going on?" Doctor Jacobs asked Mary.

"About four days," Mary responded. Doctor Jacobs then examined Mary.

"I think that you may have the flu. I am going to write a prescription for some medicine that will make you feel better." With that, Doctor Jacobs wrote out the prescription and gave it to Matt. They thanked him and then left.

After Mary and Matt went to fill the prescription, they returned home.

"What did the doctor say about Mary?" Mrs. Camden asked her son, once Mary was out of sight. Matt was about to answer his mother when the back door opening and Lucy entering the kitchen interrupted him.

"When is dinner going to be ready?" Lucy asked her mother.

"In about ten minutes," Mrs. Camden replied.

"Can you go and tell the other kids?" Mrs. Camden asked her daughter.

"Sure," Lucy said before she headed upstairs. Once Lucy was upstairs, Mrs. Camden turned her attention back to Matt.

"So what did the doctor say about Mary?" Mrs. Camden asked again.

"He said that she had the flu and gave her a prescription for some medicine," Matt told his mother.

"Did you get it filled?" Mrs. Camden asked Matt.

"Yep," Matt said handing his mother the medicine. Matt helped his mother set the table for dinner and then called the rest of kids down. Meanwhile, Mrs. Camden went into the study where Reverend Camden was working on his sermon.

"Dinner's ready," she informed her husband.

"Okay, I'll be there in a sec," Reverend Camden told his wife. With that, Mrs. Camden returned to the kitchen.

"So, what did the doctor say?" Lucy asked Mary after dinner as they were scrubbing the dishes.

"He said that I had the flu," Mary simply answered.

"How are you feeling?" Lucy asked her sister.

"Not too good, but better," Mary told her sister.

"Do you think that Mom and Dad will let me play in my game tonight?" Mary asked Lucy, even though she already knew the answer.

"No, are you kidding me?" Lucy asked Mary as they finished with the dishes. After they were done with the dishes, Lucy headed towards the living room while Mary went to find her parents.

"Mom, Dad, do you think that I could possibly play in my basketball game tonight?" Mary asked.

"Absolutely not," Reverend and Mrs. Camden both replied.

"Please," Mary pleaded.

"No, you have been sick with the flu for four days," Reverend Camden told his daughter.

"Fine," Mary said angrily as she stormed out of the room. Mary headed down the stairs to the living room where she found Lucy watching TV.

"So, what did Mom and Dad say about you playing tonight?" Lucy asked Mary as Mary took a seat next to her on the couch.

"They said no," Mary told her sister angrily.

"I told you," Lucy told Mary sarcastically.

"I know," Mary responded.

"What about next week, do you think they will let me play then?" Mary asked Lucy.

"I don't know, I guess it depends on how you feel," Lucy told her sister.


	6. Feeling Better

_**Chapter 6**_

A week passed and finally the day of the next game arrived. Mary was still felling sick but was feeling better then before.

"So do you think that Mom and Dad will let you play tonight?" Lucy asked Mary, while they were in their room talking.

"I don't know, but I hope so," Mary told her sister as she picked up a squishy ball and tossed it toward the basketball hoop on the back of the bedroom door. The ball hit the door, missing the hoop completely.

"I am going to go talk to them now," Mary said as she went over and picked up the ball and tossed it to her sister, then headed out of the room towards her parent's bedroom.

"Mom, Dad, can I play tonight?" Mary asked her parents once she had reached their bedroom.

"I don't know," Mrs. Camden hesitated.

"Please, I feel a lot better," Mary lied.

"Sure honey. Are you sure you are feeling okay, because if you're not you don't have to play," Mrs. Camden told Mary.

"I am Mom, I promise. Besides the team needs me," Mary told her mother.

"Okay, now go and get ready. Your teammates will be here in twenty minutes to pick you up," Mrs. Camden told Mary.

"Thanks Mom," Mary said as she hugged her mother.

"I love you."

"I love you too honey," Mrs. Camden said as she hugged her daughter back. With that, Mary headed to her room to get ready.

"So what did Mom and Dad say about you playing tonight?" Lucy asked Mary once she had returned.

"They said that if I was not feeling well enough that I didn't have to play if I didn't want to," Mary told Lucy.

"Well are you?" Lucy asked Mary after a few minutes.

"Well, am I what?" Mary asked Lucy, confused.

"Are you feeling well enough to play?" Lucy asked her sister, concerned.

"No, not really, but I am not going to tell Mom and Dad that. This game means the world to me," Mary told Lucy.

"I really think that you should tell them," Lucy told Mary.

"No, I can't and you can't either,' Mary ordered Lucy.

"But…," Lucy urged.

"Luce, promise me that you won't say anything to Mom and Dad," Mary ordered her sister.

"Okay, I promise," Lucy told Mary reluctantly.

"Now, do you mind, my teammates will be here in fifteen minutes to pick me up. I need to get ready," Mary told her sister, glancing over at the time on her alarm clock.

"Sorry,' Lucy told Mary as she got up and left the room to give her sister some privacy.

About fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang and Mary ran down the stairs to answer it. When she did, she saw her teammates.

"Are you ready to go?" asked one of her teammates.

"Yeah," Mary responded. Just then, her parents came to the front door.

"Bye honey, your brothers and sisters and I will meet you at the game. See you later," Mrs. Camden said.

"Wait, why won't you be at the game Dad?' Mary asked her father.

"Because there was an emergency at the church, but I promise that I will be there as soon as I can," Reverend Camden told Mary.

"I love you."

"I love you too Dad," Mary said, as she hugged her father.

"Bye, see you later," Mary said as she headed out the door.

A half an hour passed and it was about time to leave for Mary's game. Simon, Ruthie, Lucy and Matt were upstairs getting ready for the game when they were called downstairs.

"Guys, it's time to go," Mrs. Camden told the children. A few minutes later, they all came rushing down the stairs and headed out to the car to go to the game. Meanwhile, Mary was waiting on the bench for the start of the game. When the referee blew the whistle to signal the start of the game, Mary hustled out onto the court. As she did, she scanned the crowd for mom, bothers and sisters. _Where are they?_ She thought to herself.

Just then, the whistle blew for the tip-off. The Wildcats won the tip-off and Mary hustled down the court on offense. She got the ball and took the shot and scored. Her team was ahead 2 to 0. Five minutes passed and The Wildcats was now ahead 17 to 14 and the coach called a timeout. During the timeout, Mary scanned the crowd again for her family and spotted them. _Good they made it_, Mary thought to herself. Just then, the horn blew to signal the end of the timeout. "

1,2,3…Defense," the team yelled and then hustled onto the court. Two more minutes passed before the end of the first quarter. The Wildcats were now ahead 21 to 14. When the quarter ended, Mary and her teammates hustled over to the bench to listen to what coach Cleary had to say.

"Good job, nice defense," coach Cleary told the team.

"Camden, you're still in on point guard. Larson, go in for Carlson," coach Cleary said. With that, the horn blew to signal the start of the second quarter.

"1,2,3…Hustle," the team yelled and then hustled onto the court.

Once on the court, it was the other teams' ball. They took the ball down the floor and scored. Mary got the inbound pass and called out a play while watching for someone to pass the ball to on the inside. When she was unable to find anyone open, she drove the ball up the lane, missing the basket, and drew the foul. She went to the line to shoot two free throws and missed them both. The other team got the rebound and took the ball down the court and scored a three. Now the score was 21 to 17. Just then, the whistle blew to signal a timeout. Mary and her teammates hustled over to the bench out of breath.

"Kelly, can you give me my water bottle?" Mary asked one of her teammates breathlessly. Kelly gave Mary her water bottle and she took a long drink.

Moments later, the horn to signal the end of the timeout sounded and Mary, along with her teammates, hustled out onto the court. They had the ball. One of Mary's teammates in bounded the ball to Mary and she took it down the court. She looked for someone to pass the ball to. She finally spotted someone and passed them the ball. Her teammate took the shot and scored. The Wildcats were ahead 23 to 17. The Wildcats were now on defense. Mary hustled on defense. Suddenly, she noticed that the right side of her lower abdomen was beginning to hurt but she ignored it, figuring it was just a side ache from running so hard. She returned her attention back to the game. Three more minutes passed until the second quarter ended. When it did, Mary and her teammates hustled over to the bench and then followed the coach into the locker room.

Once in the locker room, coach Cleary gave the team some words of encouragement and told them what they needed to concentrate on in the second half. After the team listened to what he had to say, they left the locker room and warmed up while they waited for the third quarter to begin.

With about a minute thirty left on the clock before the start of the third quarter, the team returned to the bench to get ready for the start of the quarter. It was not until then, that Mary was reminded of the sharp pain she was experiencing in her lower abdomen. It hurt more then before, but once again she ignored it. She grabbed her water bottle and took a drink thinking that if she drank water the pain would subside.

"Camden, you're out for awhile, Conway you're in," coach Cleary said. _Good_, Mary thought to herself. Just then, the whistle to signal the start of the third quarter blew and The Wildcats hustled onto the court. They had the ball. They took the ball down the floor and scored. The score was now 25 to 17. About two minutes passed and the opposing team's coach called a timeout.

"Camden, ready to go in?" coach Cleary asked Mary.

"Yeah," Mary responded, for the pain in her lower abdomen had finally subsided – or at least she thought.


	7. Something's Wrong

**_Chapter 7_**

When the horn blew to signal the end of the timeout, Mary, along with the rest of her teammates hustled back onto the court. The other team in bounded the ball. Mary ran down the floor to get on defense. As soon as she did, the girl that she was guarding had the ball. She took the shot and missed. The Wildcats got the rebound and ran to the other end of the floor. Once at the other end, they decided to slow the play down, by passing the ball back out to Mary at the point. She got the ball and took a three and scored. The Wildcats were now ahead 28 to 17.

The opposing team called a timeout. Mary and her teammates hustled over to the bench. It was not until then, that the pain in Mary's lower abdomen returned once again. This time, however, the pain was even sharper then before. She took another long drink of water, thinking that it would help once again.

"Mary, you're out for awhile, Kelly go in for Mary at point guard," coach Cleary told them. Just then, the horn to signal the end of the timeout sounded.

"1,2,3…Teamwork," the team shouted and then hustled onto the court. Mary joined the rest of her teammates on the bench.

Mary kept drinking water to see if that would help the pain, but it didn't. She tried to ignore the pain, but just couldn't. It kept getting worse and worse. Finally, Mary couldn't take it anymore and she broke down into tears.

"Mary what's wrong?" Corey, who was sitting next to Mary, asked her.

"Nothing, I'm fine," Mary reassured her, trying to hide the tears that were sliding down her cheeks.

"Do you want me to get coach?" Corey asked Mary.

"No, I'll be fine," Mary told Corey once again. Still concerned, Corey decided that she'd go get coach Cleary.

"Coach, I think that there is something wrong with Mary. She is crying but won't say why," Corey explained to coach Cleary.

"Okay, I'll be over in a minute to check on her," coach Cleary told her.

A few minutes passed and finally, coach Cleary came over to check on Mary.

"Mary, what's wrong?" coach Cleary asked her.

"My stomach hurts really badly," Mary told him, thought tears.

"Okay, let me go get the trainer and she will come over and check on you," coach Cleary told Mary.

"Okay," Mary responded, weakly. Moments later, the trainer came over to Mary.

"What's wrong?" the trainer asked.

"My stomach hurts really badly," Mary replied through tears.

"Where?" the trainer asked Mary.

"Here," Mary replied, pointing to the right side of her lower abdomen.

"Let me know if this hurts," the trainer said as she pressed on the right side of Mary's lower abdomen.

"OWWW," Mary replied, as she shrieked in pain.

"I think that you may have appendicitis," the trainer told Mary.

"Mom, I think that there is something wrong with Mary," Matt told his mother. Mrs. Camden didn't answer so Matt tried again.

"Mom, I think that there is something wrong with Mary," Matt said once again, louder this time.

"What?" Mrs. Camden asked, still not paying full attention to her son.

"I think that there is something wrong with Mary. The trainer is with her," Matt told his mother. Hearing these words, Mrs. Camden returned her attention towards the bench where she saw the trainer along with Mary.

"I am going to check and see what's wrong," Mrs. Camden told the children.

"But, Mom I need to tell you something," Lucy told her mother.

"Not now Luce, I need to go check on Mary," Mrs. Camden told her daughter. With that, she headed towards the bench to check on Mary.

When Mrs. Camden reached the bench where the trainer was with Mary she saw that she was crying.

"Mary, what's wrong?" Mrs. Camden asked in a concerned voice.

"My stomach hurts really badly," Mary told her mother through tears.

"I think that she may have appendicitis. She needs to be taken to the hospital right away," the trainer told Mrs. Camden.

"Okay, I'll take her right now," Mrs. Camden said in a shaky voice.

"Mary, are you ready to go?" Mrs. Camden asked her oldest daughter. Mary shook her head "yes". With that, the trainer helped Mary off the bench and Mrs. Camden escorted Mary, who was holding her stomach and crying, up to where the children were waiting for their mother to return.

"Mary, what's wrong?" Matt asked his younger sister in a concerned voice.

"Not now Matt, we need to get your sister to the hospital right away," Mrs. Camden explained to her eldest son. With that, they all got in to the car and drove to the Glen Oak Community Hospital.


	8. Appendicitis

_**Chapter 8**_

"Mom, what's wrong with Mary?" Matt asked his once again after they were in the car on the way to the hospital.

"Please Matt, not now. I will tell you later," Mrs. Camden told him, not wanting to scare Simon and Ruthie. Meanwhile, Mary was sitting in the back seat of the van. The pain in her lower abdomen had worsened and she was crying even harder now. Ruthie, Simon and especially Lucy, were starting to get very concerned about their older sister. Mrs. Camden looked in her rear view mirror and could not help notice the fear in each of their faces.

"We'll be there soon. Your sister is going to be fine," Mrs. Camden told Ruthie, Simon and Lucy.

Minutes later, they reached the doors to the emergency room. Mrs. Camden helped Mary out of the car and they all rushed inside. Once inside, Mrs. Camden checked Mary in while the rest of the children took a seat in the waiting room chairs.

"I need a doctor right away," Mrs. Camden told the receptionist frantically.

"I am sorry miss; there is a shortage of staff, but a doctor will be with you as soon as possible," the receptionist told Mrs. Camden.

"But…" Mrs. Camden urged.

"I am sorry, there is nothing that I can do," the receptionist told her. With that, Mrs. Camden decided to give up and returned to were her children were waiting for her.

"There is a shortage of staff and there is no doctor available to see Mary right now; we just have to wait," Mrs. Camden told no one in particular.

"Mom, please, it hurts," Mary said through tears.

"I know honey, I know," Mrs. Camden said as she wrapped her arms around her eldest daughter.

"There is nothing I can do. We just have to wait until a doctor is able to see you," Mrs. Camden told Mary.

Mrs. Camden and the children waited for what seemed like forever. Mary's stomach hurt really, really bad at this point and she was crying really hard from all the pain that she was in.

"Mary Camden," the doctor called finally.

"Matt, go call your father at the church and tell him to meet us right away," Mrs. Camden ordered.

"Okay," Matt told his mother.

"Lucy, stay here with Simon and Ruthie," Mrs. Camden told her.

"Okay," Lucy responded, doing as her mother told her. With that, Matt rushed to go and find a pay phone, while Mrs. Camden and Mary followed the doctor back to a room.

Once Matt found a pay phone, he inserted the correct change and then dialed the number to his father's church office.

"Hello," Reverend Camden said into the phone.

"Dad, we're at the Glen Oak Community Hospital and Mom wants you to meet us right away," Matt told his father.

"Matt, what's wrong?" Reverend Camden asked, concerned.

"I don't know exactly; all I know is that there is something seriously wrong with Mary," Matt told his father quickly.

"Matt, calm down. I am sure that your sister is going to be fine," Reverend Camden told his son.

"I hope so. I don't know what I would do if she weren't alright," Matt told his father.

"I'll be at the hospital in about five minutes, wait for me in the lobby. I love you," Reverend Camden told Matt.

"Love you too Dad," Matt told his father before hanging up.

Meanwhile, the doctor was examining Mary.

"So what seems to be the problem?" the doctor asked, looking at Mrs. Camden.

"She has been complaining that her stomach has been hurting really badly," Mrs. Camden told the doctor.

"Let me know if this hurts," the doctor said to Mary as he started pressing on her stomach. When he pressed on the right side of her lower abdomen, she let out a loud "OWWWW".

"I think that you may have appendicitis. We need to run a test to make sure that you didn't rupture your appendix," the doctor told Mary.

"Okay," Mary told the doctor, still crying.

"Honey, do you want me to come with you?" Mrs. Camden asked her daughter.

"No Mom, I'll be fine," Mary told her mother in a shaky voice.

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Camden asked, sensing the fear in her daughter's voice. "I am sure," Mary reassured her mother.

With that, Mrs. Camden returned to the waiting room.

"Dad's on his way," Matt told his mother. Mrs. Camden took a seat and waited for a doctor to come and talk to her about Mary's test results.

"Mom, what's wrong with Mary? I know there is something wrong. Please tell me. If anything ever were to happen to her I don't know what I would do," Matt urged.

"Mom, what's wrong with Mary?" Matt asked after a long silence.

"She has appendicitis. They are running a test right now to make sure that she did not rupture her appendix," Mrs. Camden told Matt.

"But she is going to be okay right?" Matt asked his mother.

"I don't know, but I hope so," Mrs. Camden replied.

"Me too," Matt told his mother.

A few minutes later, Reverend Camden came rushing through the emergency room doors where he found his wife and children waiting in the waiting room.

"I got here as fast as I could, what's wrong with Mary?" Reverend Camden asked his wife, out of breath. Mrs. Camden gripped her husband's shoulders tightly.

"Annie... what's going on?" Reverend Camden asked his wife in a quiet voice.

"Eric, she has appendicitis. They are running a test right now to see if she ruptured her appendix," Mrs. Camden told her husband. Reverend Camden let out a sigh of relief, knowing that the news was not as bad as he had thought it to be and, for that he was thankful for. With that, everyone sat down and waited anxiously for a doctor to talk to them.

Meanwhile, Mary was getting her test done. They put a tube down her throat that went to her stomach, which had a camera on the end of it. Then they told her to drink this pink liquid they had given her. They also told her that she needed to drink all of it in order for the test to be effective. Mary did as she was told, even though the liquid tasted absolutely horrible. Not being able to hold the liquid down, she ended up throwing it up.

"You need to try and keep it down, otherwise we won't be able to tell what is wrong," the doctor told Mary.

"Okay," Mary said, as she took the cup from the doctor and drank the pink liquid that was inside. This time it stayed down. _Finally,_ Mary thought to herself. After the test was completed, the doctor told Mary to wait in the waiting room and that she would be called back when her test results had been processed. With that, Mary headed towards the waiting room.

When Mary reached the waiting room, she found her parents and brothers and sisters and went over and sat down next to them.

"The doctor told me to wait out here until my test results came back," Mary sniffed.

"A tube was put down my throat that had a camera on it and then I had to drink this pink liquid. It tasted horrible," Mary told her parents.

"How's your stomach?" Reverend Camden asked his daughter.

"It still hurts pretty badly," Mary said, as she began to cry harder. The truth was that Mary's stomach hurt a lot more than before, so bad that she was not sure how much longer she could stand it.

After a few more minutes, the doctor entered the waiting room. He led Mary and her parents back to the room they were in before while the rest of the children stayed behind.

"We got Mary's test results back…" the doctor said to Reverend and Mrs. Camden.

"And we have discovered that Mary has in fact ruptured her appendix. She needs to have surgery right away," the doctor told Reverend and Mrs. Camden. After Mary had said her finally goodbyes to her parents, she was wheeled off to the operating room. After Mary was no longer in sight, the Camdens' returned to the waiting room.


	9. Visiting Hours And A Punishment

_**Chapter 9**_

When the Reverend and Mrs. Camden returned to the waiting room, their children greeted them.

"Is Mary okay?" they all asked, concerned.

"She's fine, she just had to have surgery because they discovered that she had ruptured her appendix," Mrs. Camden told the children. Suddenly, Lucy started to cry. Matt, who was sitting next to her, tried to comfort his younger sister.

"Luce, everything is going to be fine, Mary's is going to be fine," Matt told his sister.

"I love her Matt, she has to be okay, she just has to be," Lucy told her older brother, still crying.

"She will be Lucy, she will be, I promise," Matt told his little sister, as her pulled her into a tight hug.

Two hours passed and Mary was still not out of surgery.

"What is taking them so long?" Mrs. Camden asked her husband.

"I don't know, but I am sure that everything is going fine," Reverend Camden told his wife, as he gave his wife's hand a reassuring squeeze. Just then, the doctor walked into the waiting room and approached Reverend and Mrs. Camden.

"How is she?" they both asked the doctor.

"She is doing fine. She is in recovery right now," the doctor told them.

"Can we go see her now?" Reverend and Mrs. Camden asked.

"Not yet, we need to move her to a room first. After that you can but only one at a time," the doctor told them. With that, he got up and left the room.

"Mom, what did the doctor say about Mary?' the children all asked.

"He said that Mary is in recovery right now and that she is doing fine," Mrs. Camden informed the children.

"Can we see her?" Lucy asked her mother.

"Not yet, the doctor said that they need to move her to a room first and after that we can, but only one at a time," Mrs. Camden told her daughter.

A few minutes later, the doctor returned to the waiting room.

"You can go and see her now, but remember only one at a time," the doctor told the Camdens'.

"Mom, can I go first?" Matt asked his mother.

"Sure," Mrs. Camden told him.

"She's in room 234," the doctor told Matt.

"Thanks," Matt told the doctor. With that, Matt went to find Mary's room. Once Matt found the correct room, he entered quietly.

"Hey," Matt said.

"Hey," Mary said, still drowsy.

"How are you feeling?" Matt asked his sister.

"Better, but my stomach hurts," Mary told her brother.

"Didn't they give you medicine for the pain?" Matt asked her.

"They did, but it hasn't started working yet," Mary told Matt.

"Well, once it does, you will feel better," Matt told his sister.

"I hope," Mary told her brother. Moments passed and Mary didn't say a word. Matt sensed that something was wrong; he could tell by the look in his younger sister's eyes.

"Mary, what's wrong?" Matt asked in a concerned voice.

"It's not fair Matt, it's just not fair," Mary said, tears coming to her eyes.

"What's not fair?" Matt questioned, placing his hand on his sister's leg.

"Matt, I can't even move a certain way or walk because every time I do it hurts. I tried to go to the bathroom when I got out of surgery and when I walked it hurt so badly," Mary sobbed, making her stomach hurt even worse.

"You'll be fine Mary, you'll see," Matt reassured his sister. Matt then took Mary's hand in his.

"I love you Mary and if anything were to ever happen to you, I don't know what I would do. I love you so much," Matt told his baby sister, sweetly.

"I love you too Matt," Mary said, hugging her brother.

"Okay, well, I probably should get going," Matt said as he got up to leave.

"Matt, can you send Luce in? I want to talk to her," Mary asked her brother.

"Sure, no problem," Matt told Mary and then exited the room.

When Matt got to the waiting room, he told Lucy that Mary wanted to see her.

"What room is she in?" Lucy asked Matt.

"Room 234," Matt told her. With that, she headed down the long hallway to Mary's room. She opened the door and entered.

"Hey," Lucy said, greeting her older sister with a smile.

"Hey," Mary said, returning the smile.

"I am sorry," Lucy said.

"What are you sorry about?" Mary asked her sister, confused.

"I am sorry that this happened to you. If it weren't for me you probably wouldn't be here right now. I am so sorry Mary," Lucy said, as she began to cry. Mary held her sister tight, allowing her to cry into her chest.

"Luce, don't blame yourself for this. It is not your fault…it isn't your fault," Mary said, coddling her younger sister. After Lucy had finally calmed down, Mary griped her sister's shoulders lightly.

"Luce, listen to me. It is not your fault okay? It was entirely my fault… and I never want you to blame yourself for my mistakes, ever again," Mary told her sister.

"I love you."

"I love you too Mary," Lucy said.

"How are you feeling?" Lucy asked her sister.

"Better, but my stomach hurts," Mary told her sister, as she repositioned herself in the bed.

"Ouch," Mary said as she moved.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked her older sister.

"Yeah Luce, I am fine," Mary reassured her sister.

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked, concerned about her sister.

"Yes, I am sure," Mary told her once again.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. I love you," Lucy told Mary as she got up to leave the room.

"I love you too little sister," Mary told Lucy as she left the room.

When Lucy reached the waiting room, she told Ruthie that she could go and see Mary if she wanted too.

"Will you come with me?" Ruthie asked Lucy.

"Sure, come on," Lucy said, taking a hold of her little sister's hand and leading her to Mary's room.

"Hey kiddo," Mary said, once she saw Ruthie enter the room along with Lucy. Ruthie immediately went over to her big sister and hopped up on the edge of the bed.

"I thought you left," Mary said, directing her remark at Lucy.

"I did but Ruthie wanted me to come with her to see you, so I am back," Lucy explained.

"Oh," Mary simply responded.

"Are you okay?" Ruthie asked her older sister, unsure of what was going on. Mary and Lucy exchanged nervous glances; how do you explain to a five year old what happened so that they are able to comprehend what is going on but at the same time, not become frightened by the news.

"Well Ruthie, I got hurt and had to have an operation to make me all better," Mary explained to her baby sister, hoping that Ruthie was not frightened.

"Oh okay," Ruthie simply said, not quite comprehending all of what her older sister told her nor was she frightened by it.

"I love you Ruthie," Mary told her youngest sister.

"I love you," Ruthie told her big sister.

"Are you ready to go?" Lucy asked Ruthie.

"Do I have to?" Ruthie asked Lucy.

"Yes, now come on,' Lucy responded, holding her hand out for Ruthie to take a hold of. She obeyed.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Lucy told Mary as her and Ruthie left the room.

"See you tomorrow," Mary told them.

"Simon, do you want to go see Mary?" Matt asked his little brother, when Lucy and Ruthie had returned to the waiting room.

"Will you go with me?' Simon asked; it was like he was a scared child.

"Sure," Matt said leading Simon towards Mary's room. Once Simon and Matt reached Mary's room, Simon immediately ran over to his sister and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist; burying his face in her chest, tears in his eyes. Mary hugged him back as she started to cry as well.

"Are you okay?" Simon asked when he looked up and saw the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Yeah, I am fine. How about you?" Mary asked.

"I am so glad that you're okay," Simon explained to his sister.

"I love you Simon," Mary told her little brother.

"I love you too Mary," Simon told his sister.

"Simon, we should leave now. Mary needs her rest," Matt told his younger brother.

"Okay," Simon replied. With that, Matt and Simon left the room.

After Matt and Simon returned to the waiting room, Reverend and Mrs. Camden went into Mary's room and told Matt to stay with the other kids.

"Hey Mare," Reverend and Mrs. Camden said.

"Hey," Mary responded.

"How are you feeling?" they both asked.

"Better but my stomach is still sensitive from surgery and it hurts when I walk or move a certain way," Mary told her parents.

"Mom, Dad, I need to tell you something," Mary told her parents a few moments later.

"What is it honey, you know you can tell us anything," Reverend and Mrs. Camden told their daughter.

"Well," Mary started, not making eye contact with her parents.

"I sort of lied about not feeling well enough to play tonight."

"Why didn't you say something?" Reverend Camden asked his eldest daughter.

"This game meant the world to me and I knew that if I told you there would be no chance of me playing," Mary told her father.

"Is there anything else?" Reverend Camden asked Mary, sensing that she was not telling the whole truth.

Mary hesitated and sighed, "Actually, there is something else…I made Lucy promise me that she would not say a word to you and mom." Mary told her father in a soft voice. Just then, Mary let out a long yawn.

"Get some sleep, we'll talk more about this in the morning," Reverend told his daughter, as he stroked her cheek gently with his hand. With that, both Reverend and Mrs. Camden started to leave the room.

"Please don't be angry at Lucy, it was not her fault," Mary told her parents, as they got ready to leave. Her parents left the room without saying a word.

When Reverend and Mrs. Camden returned to the waiting room, Reverend Camden turned to his wife, "I'll spend the night here with Mary, you and the kids go home and get some rest."

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Camden asked her husband.

"I am sure. I'll see you and the kids tomorrow. I love you." Reverend Camden responded.

"I love you too," Mrs. Camden responded. She then turned to the children, who were all sitting waiting patiently.

"Guys, time to go," Mrs. Camden told them.

"Do we have too?" Ruthie complained.

"Yes, all of you have school tomorrow," Mrs. Camden told the children.

"Mommy, is Daddy coming too?" Ruthie asked her mother.

"No, sweetie, daddy is going to stay here with Mary. You will see daddy tomorrow," Mrs. Camden told her youngest daughter. With that, Mrs. Camden and the children headed to the car and drove home.

Once they got home, all the kids started up the stairs to get ready for bed.

"Lucy," Mrs. Camden said before she had a chance to escape up the stairs.

"Yeah, Mom," Lucy said, turning around to face her mother.

"We need to talk," Mrs. Camden told her daughter.

"Okay, what do you want to talk about?" Lucy asked her mother, confused. Meanwhile the rest of the kids were all sitting at the top of the stairs listening in on the conversation, they were all confused as well. _What could Lucy have done? _they all wondered.

"How could you cover for your sister?" Mrs. Camden asked her daughter sternly.

"I don't know. I am sorry," Lucy said apologetically.

"You are grounded for three weeks. School, church and back. No phone and no TV. Do you understand me?" Mrs. Camden asked her sternly.

"Yes," Lucy said in a weak voice.

"I love you," Mrs. Camden told Lucy.

"Yeah," Lucy said in almost a whisper as she headed up the stairs. The rest of the children scattered quickly to their rooms when they heard Lucy coming up the stairs, making sure that she didn't see them. Once upstairs, Lucy entered her room, shutting the door hard behind her. She walked over to her bed and buried her face in her pillow and stared to cry. _How could Mary do this to me? _Lucy thought angrily to herself, _now I am grounded for three weeks and it's all her fault_.

Just then, Lucy heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Go away!" Lucy shouted. Matt, who was standing outside the door, ignored his sisters' response and entered anyway.

"I can't," he responded.

"Please Matt, just go away," Lucy told her big brother.

"Come on Luce, tell me what's going on," Matt pleaded.

"Mom got mad at me and now I am grounded for three weeks!" Lucy shouted at her brother.

"Lucy, calm down," Matt ordered.

"Now, tell me again what happened," Matt said a few moments later, after Lucy had settled down.

Lucy took a deep breath before starting again, "Mary got me in trouble because she told Mom about me promising not to say anything about her not feeling well enough to play tonight," Lucy told her brother angrily.

"How do you know that it was Mary who told her?" Matt asked his sister.

"Who else could it of been?" Lucy asked her brother.

"Good point, I guess that you're right," Matt responded.

"Still, how could you let yourself do that? Mary could have died Lucy. How could you!" Matt asked his sister, annoyed.

"I don't know. I would never want that to happen, now can you please get off my back?" Lucy asked her brother in an annoyed tone.

"No, I can't," Matt told her.

"Why!" Lucy said in an agitated tone.

"Because you're my little sister and I love you Lucy. It's my responsibility as the oldest to watch out for you and the others. If anything ever were to happen to you or any of the others I don't know what I would do. I love all of you very much." Matt told Lucy.

"I love you too Matt," Lucy told her big brother. " I love you too," Matt told his sister, as he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Do you know how scared I was when Mom came up to the bleachers with Mary and she was obviously in pain? I was terrified. I didn't know what was wrong with her or if she was going to be okay," Matt told Lucy.

"I know. I was scared too. I love Mary as much as you do," Lucy told Matt.

"I know you do. That's the reason that I am so upset. I want you to know that what you did was wrong because I love you and I would never want to see you get hurt," Matt told his sister.

"Thanks Matt," Lucy said after a few moments.

"Don't mention it," Matt told Lucy as he left the room to let Lucy finish her homework. Meanwhile, Matt went to his room to finish the rest of his homework.

About an hour later, Mrs. Camden called the children down to dinner. Each one of the children hustled down to the kitchen and all took a seat at the table.

"Are we going to see Mary tomorrow?" Simon asked his mother as he took his seat at the table.

"Yeah, we'll go see her right after school tomorrow okay?" Mrs. Camden asked her youngest son.

"Okay," Simon responded.

"Matt, bring the kids home from school and then when your father gets home we'll all go to the hospital togeather," Mrs. Camden told him.

"Okay. No problem," Matt responded.

The next morning Mary woke up and looked around and noticed someone sitting in a chair next to her hospital bed.

"Dad?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

"Good, you're up. How are you feeling?" Reverend Camden asked Mary, who was still unsure of who was talking to her.

"I am feeling better. Did you spend the night here with me?" Mary asked, now realizing that it was her dad that she was talking to.

"Yeah. I wanted to make sure that you were okay. I love you Mary," Reverend Camden told his daughter.

"I love you too Dad," Mary told her father.

"Can I get you anything?" Reverend Camden asked her.

"Yeah. Can you get me the breakfest menu? I am starving," Mary asked her father.

"Sure honey. I'll be right back," Reverend Camden said. With that, he left the room.

A few minutes later, Reverend Camden returned with a breakfest menu.

"I found one," Reverend Camden said, handing the menu to Mary. Mary checked what she wanted and then Reverend Camden took it back to the desk where the orders were sent to the hospital cafeteria.

"So when are Mom, Lucy, Simon, Matt and Ruthie coming to see me?" Mary asked, once Reverend Camden had returned.

"I don't know, but I would imagine after school," Reverend Camden replied.

"Did the doctor say when I could go home?" Mary asked her father.

"He said that you could go home tomorrow," Reverend Camden told his daughter.

"I just want to sleep in my own bed," Mary said. Reverend Camden chuckled at Mary's comment.

"I know what you mean," he told her. Just then, the nurse came in with Mary's breakfest order.

After Mary finished, she started to get tired again.

"Dad," Mary said to get her fathers attention. He was busy reading the newspaper.

"Yeah, honey?" Reverend Camden responded.

"I am going to take a nap for a little while," Mary told him.

"Okay, I think that is a good idea. I am going to go get something to eat from the cafeteria. I'll be back soon." Reverend Camden told Mary.

"Okay Dad,' Mary responded. With that, Reverend Camden headed to the hospital cafeteria and Mary closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Later that day, at around 1:30, Reverend Camden told Mary that he was going to go to the church to work for a little while but that he would be back around 3:30 with the rest of the family.

"Okay Dad," Mary responded.

"You'll be okay by yourself for a little while right?" He asked her.

"Go Dad. I'll be fine," Mary reassured him.

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too," Mary told her father. With that, Reverend Camden left the room.

At around 2:30, the children came home from school with Matt.

"Hey guys. How was school?" Mrs. Camden asked each one of the children.

"Good, " they all said together.

"Do you have any homework?" Mrs. Camden asked .

"Yes," all the children replied.

"Well, go and do it now. We'll go see your sister when your father gets home," Mrs. Camden told them.

"Okay," they all responded as they started up the stairs to their rooms.

Lucy didn't feel like doing her homework. Instead, she decided that she was going to call her friend Nicole. In the back of her mind, Lucy know that she was going to get in trouble, but she went ahead anyway. She sat down on the edge of her bed and picked up the phone on her nightstand.Lucy dialed Nicole's number and waited for her to answer.

"Hey," Lucy pipped when she heard her friend's voice.

"Hey Luce. What's up?" Nicole asked.

"Nothing. You?" Lucy asked Nicole.

"Well, I got an A on the History test that we took yesterday," Nicole told Lucy.

"Oh, Congratulations," Lucy said.

"Thanks. How did you do?" Nicole asked Lucy.

"Let's just say that I wish Ihad your grade. I got a Dminus." Lucy replied. Just as Lucy told Nicole, Mrs. Camden picked up the phone to make a call and overheard Lucy and Nicole's conversation.She hung up. Mrs. Camden could not believe that Lucy would hide that from her, especially since she knew how important her grades were. She decided that she would let Lucy continue talking to Nicole but afterward she would confront her daughter. Meanwhile, upstairs, Lucy was still on the phone.

"Oh, I am sorry." Nicole was saying.

"Yeah, so am I. If I don't keep my grades up, I'll be in major trouble with my parents." Lucy explained.

"Same here." Nicole said.

"But you always do so well in school," Lucy remarked.

"I have my days," Nicole said. Both Lucy and Nicole started laughing at Nicole's remark.

"Okay. Well, I have to go. I have homework," Nicole told Lucy.

"Sure. Rub it in." Lucy said, laughing.

"Hey!" Nicole said defensively.

"Bye," Lucy said, laughing.

"Bye. See you tomorrow." Nicole said to Lucy.

"See you tomorrow," Lucy said, as she hung up the phone.

Within minutes after Lucy getting off the phone, Mrs. Camden was standing in the door frame of Lucy's bedroom. She stared at her daughter with a stern look. Lucy know that look and it was not a good look, especially at this moment.

"Lucy Marie Camden, I am very disappointed in you," Mrs. Camden told her daughter.

"I am sorry. I had no right to use the phone when you told me not to," Lucy told her mother apologetically.

"You know how important your grades are. I overheard your little conversation about your Hisotry test." Mrs. Camden told Lucy.

"Oh That." Lucy said, cringing.

"So you're not angery about the phone thing," Lucy asked, hopeful.

"I am still angery about that but I'm more upset about the fact that you didn't tell me about your grade on your History test," Mrs. Camden told Lucy.

"I was scared that you would be mad at me," Lucy confessed.

"I am disappointed in you but I am not mad at you," Mrs. Camden told Lucy, her tone becoming softer.

"So what's my punishment?" Lucy asked her mother.

"You are grounded for four weeks instead of two," Mrs. Camden told her.

"I thought so," Lucy said, sighing.

"Next time promise that you will tell your father and me what is going on." Mrs. Camden said.

"I promise," Lucy told her mother.

"Thanks for not punishing me too much."

"You're welcome," Mrs. Camden replied, laughing. With that, she left the room, closing Lucy's bedroom door behind her.

Minutes later, there was a knock on Lucy's bedroom door.

"Who is it?" Lucy asked.

"It's Matt. Can I come in?" Matt asked from outside the door.

"Yeah," Lucy responded. "How are you doing?" Matt asked his sister.

"Okay," Lucy told him. Matt could tell by the tone in his sister voice that she was lying.

"Come on Luce, tell me what is wrong, " Matt urged.

"Okay. Mom got angery at me after she caught me using the phone without her permission," Lucy said, sighing.

"And to add insult to injury, I got a D minus on my History test and she is disappointed in me for that too," Lucy told Matt.

"So shegrounded me for three weeks. I am so stupid." Lucy told her brother.

"Lucy Camden, you are not stupid. You are the smartest person I know," Matt told hiss little sister.

"You really think that?" Lucy asked her brother.

"I know," Matt reassured Lucy.

"Thanks Matt. I love you," Lucy told him.

"I love you too Luce," Matt told her. "Now, need some help with your homework?" Matt asked Lucy.

"Well, if I am going to keep my grades up I suppose you better help me," Lucy said.

"Yeah, because you won't want to see the reactions on Mom and Dad's faces if you don't," Matt said.

"You got that right," Lucy said, as she and Matt started to work on her homework...together.

About twenty minutes later, Reverend Camden came through the door.

"Hi," Mrs. Camden greeted her husband, as he went over and gave her a kiss.

"How's Mary?" Mrs. Camden asked him.

"She's fine. The doctor says that she can come home tomorrow," Reverend Camden informed his wife.

"That's great. I can't wait for her to come home," Mrs. Camden said.

"Neither can she. She told me that all she wants to do is sleep in her own bed again," Reverend Camden said.

"I can imagine," Mrs. Camden said, chuckling.

"Are you ready to go to the hospital?" Mrs. Camden asked.

"Sure. She can't wait to see you and her brothers and sisters," Reverend Camden replied.

"Lucy, Simon, Ruthie, Matt, time to go!" Mrs. Camden yelled up the stairs. A few minutes later, all four children came trooting down the stairs. With that, everyone got in the car and drove to the hospital.

Once they arrive at the hospital, they found Mary's room and entered. Once she saw them, a huge smile spread accross her face.

"Hey guys," Mary said to her family.

"Hey Mary. How are you feeling?" they all asked her.

"A lot better then yesterday. My stomach is still a little sensitive from surgery though," Mary told them.

"Well, we're glad that you are feeling better. We can't wait until you come home," Mrs. Camden told her.

"Yeah," everyone said.

"It's getting pretty loney without my late night girl talk partner," Lucy told her sister.

"Hey, what about me? Don't I count?" Ruthie said, feeling left out. Lucy laughed at Ruthie's comment.

"Of course you do, I'm sorry." Lucy said.

"Thank you," Ruthie told Lucy.

"I miss you too Luce. I miss our girl talks," Mary told her sister.

"I miss all of you. I can't wait for tomorrow when I finally get to go home," Mary said.

"We love you Mary," Mrs. Camden told her daughter. She was speaking for everyone. They all loved her very much. Just then, a nurse entered Mary's room.

"Visiting hours are over. We need you to go home," the nurse informed them.

"Okay. We'll see you tomorrow. We love you," Reverend and Mrs. Camden told Mary.

"See you tomorrow guys. Love you." Mary told her family. With that, they all left the room. Shortly after, Mary closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She was exhusted.


	10. Homecoming

**_Chapter 10_**

Once they got home, Mrs. Camden started dinner and the kids all scattered to their rooms to finish their homework.

"So how was your day at work?" Mrs. Camden asked her husband.

"Good, and how was your day?" he demanded.

"Fine," Mrs. Camden simply told him.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Lucy was in her room doing her homework when she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"How's the homework coming?" Matt asked once he had entered her room.

"Fine," Lucy told her bother.

"Do you need some help? Matt asked her.

"Sure, I have a test tomorrow and I need help studying," Lucy told Matt.

"Wait a minute, don't you have homework?" Lucy asked Matt suspiciously.

"I do, but it can wait," Matt replied.

"Thanks Matt," Lucy said.

Later that night, at around 10:00, Matt was still in his room doing his homework. He was helping Lucy with her homework and she had just finished about half an hour ago.

"Matt it's getting late, you should get to bed," Mrs. Camden said, poking her head into the room.

"Okay, Mom, I love you," Matt told his mother.

"I love you too Matt," Mrs. Camden told her son, just before leaving. After his mother had left, Matt turned out his light on his desk and went to bed.

The next morning all the kids got up and got ready for school. They then went down to the kitchen to get breakfast.

"Morning," they all said, greeting their mother.

"Morning," Mrs. Camden told the children. A few minutes later, Reverend Camden came down the stairs in a rush.

"I need to get to work. I am late," Reverend Camden told his wife.

"No you're not, you're not late for anything," Mrs. Camden told her husband.

"What do you mean? Did I get fired or something?" Reverend Camden asked.

"No, you didn't get fired. I just thought that since Mary is coming home today that it would be nice for you and the kids to be here to welcome her home," Mrs. Camden told him.

"Oh," Reverend Camden said, calming down a little.

"You mean we don't have to go to school?" Ruthie asked her mother in an excited tone.

"No, we are all going to play hooky today," Mrs. Camden said. "Cool," Ruthie responded.

Later that day, Reverend Camden went to the hospital to go get Mary.

"You ready to go?" he asked her once he arrived to her room.

"Yeah," Mary responded.

"Mary, you will need to come back in four weeks to get the stitches out. You can take the bandage off in two days," Doctor Jacobs told Mary and Reverend Camden.

"Okay, thank you," they both told Doctor Jacobs.

"And call me immediately if anything out of the ordinary occurs. Mary will be sore for about a week or two, but if any redness or swelling occurs please call me immediately," Doctor Jacobs told Reverend Camden.

"Here are some instructions of things that Mary can and cannot do for the next three weeks," Doctor Jacobs told Reverend Camden as he handed him a sheet of paper.

"Please don't hesitate to call me if you have any questions or concerns."

"Okay, thanks again," Reverend Camden and Mary told Doctor Jacobs. With that, Mary and Reverend Camden left the room and went to make another appointment. After that, they headed home.

When they got home, everyone was there to welcome Mary home. Mary got a huge smile on her face when she saw her family. They immediately came over and started to hug her.

"Welcome home," everyone, shouted; they had really missed her.

"Hey guys," Mary responded hugging each of her siblings and parents.

"I am really tired, I think that I am going to go upstairs to my room and take a nap," Mary told everyone.

"Sorry," Mary said. "Its okay honey, you go rest and we'll talk later," Mrs. Camden told her daughter.

"Mary," Lucy called before Mary headed upstairs to her room.

Mary turned to face her sister, "Yeah Luce?"

"Can we talk? I miss talking to you," Lucy told Mary.

"Not now, but I promise that when I wake up, I'm all yours," Mary told her sister.

"Thanks Mary. I've missed you and I am glad your home," Lucy told her.

"I've missed you too Luce," Mary told her sister before heading upstairs to her room.

About two hours later, Mary woke up from her nap. Lucy, who was reading a magazine, looked up and focused her attention on her sister.

"Luce, what did you want to talk to me about?" Mary asked.

"I'll tell you what I wanted to talk to you about," Lucy told her sister angrily.

"Okay what?" Mary asked her sister, confused by why she was so angry.

"How about the fact that I got in trouble, all thanks to you," Lucy yelled at her sister.

"What?" Mary shouted back at her sister.

"You got me in trouble because you told Mom about me covering for you," Lucy told Mary in an angry tone. Just then, Mrs. Camden who had heard Mary and Lucy arguing entered the girls' room.

"What is all the yelling about?" Mrs. Camden demanded.

"Lucy, I need to talk your sister, would you please go downstairs and check on Simon and Ruthie for me?" Mrs. Camden asked her daughter, after a few moments.

"Sure Mom," Lucy told her mother. With that, she left the room.

"Shut the door," Mrs. Camden told Mary once Lucy was out of sight.

"Look, if this is about me lying to you and dad about the basketball game, I am really sorry," Mary told her mother as she went over and shut her bedroom door, "including telling Lucy to cover for me."

"I know that what I did was wrong and I promise I will never do it again," Mary told her mother.

"What if something worse would have happened to you, what if you would have died?" Mrs. Camden asked Mary.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Mary told her mother.

"You are grounded," Mrs. Camden told her daughter sternly.

"For how long?" Mary asked in a weak voice.

"Three weeks, no phone and no TV. Church, school and back," Mrs. Camden told her daughter. With that, Mrs. Camden left the room.

A few minutes later, Lucy came upstairs to her room.

"So what did Mom and you talk about?" Lucy asked her sister curiously.

"Better question, what is that in your hand?" Mary asked her sister, noticing the piece of paper that she was holding.

"I don't know, I found it sitting on the kitchen table and it has your name on it. I thought that maybe you would know," Lucy told Mary.

"Let me see," Mary demanded taking the piece of paper away from her sister. Mary studied the piece of paper very closely.

"So what is it?" Lucy asked after a few moments.

"It's the list that Doctor Jacobs gave dad when we left the hospital. It is a list of things that I can and cannot do for the next three weeks," Mary told her sister in a low voice.

"So, what's the big deal?" Lucy asked her sister curiously, noticing the disappointment in her voice.

"The big deal is that it says that I can't do any strenuous physical activities, which means that I can't practice or play basketball for the next three weeks," Mary told her sister.

"Oh, I get it," Lucy told her sister in a low voice, finally realizing why Mary was so disappointed.

"So what did you and Mom talk about?" Lucy asked Mary after a few minutes.

"She told me that I was grounded for three weeks because of lying about the basketball game and having you cover for me. I can't go anywhere but school, church and back," Mary told her sister.

"Welcome to the club," Lucy told Mary.

"What?" Mary asked her sister, confused.

"I got grounded for three weeks because of well you know," Lucy told Mary.

"Because you covered for me?" Mary questioned.

"Yeah," Lucy responded.

"Look, I am really sorry. I never meant for you to get in trouble," Mary told Lucy.

"I know and I forgive you," Lucy told Mary.

"You do?" Mary asked Lucy.

"Of course I do, you're my sister and I love you and nothing is ever going to change that," Lucy told Mary.

"Thanks Luce, I love you too," Mary told her.


	11. Wacky Plan

**_Chapter 11_**

The phone on the nightstand next to the girls' bed rang. Mary reached for the phone but Lucy beat her to it.

"Hello," Lucy said into the phone.

"Is Mary there?" the person on the other end asked.

"Phone's for you," Lucy told her sister, handing the phone to Mary.

"Hello," Mary said into the phone.

"Hey Mary," the person on the other end of the phone said.

"Hey Corey, what's up?" Mary asked her teammate. "Well," Corey started, before pausing.

"What, tell me," Mary urged.

"Well, WE'RE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP!" Corey told Mary excitedly.

"No way," Mary said, not believing what she was hearing.

"Yes way, we beat the Spartans, 34 to 25," Corey told Mary.

"THAT'S SO AWESOME!" Mary squealed.

"I know, I can't believe it," Corey told Mary.

"Yeah, it's pretty amazing. I mean, they are the best team in the league," Mary told Corey.

"You know, the team really needs you," Cory told her teammate.

"How are you anyway?" Corey asked Mary.

"I am fine, I just had to have my appendix removed," Mary told her.

"Practice is at 5:00 tonight," Corey told Mary.

"5:00 tonight?" Mary asked her teammate wearily.

"Yeah, you'll be there right?" Corey asked Mary in hesitation.

"Yeah, I'll be there," Mary told Corey.

"Okay, bye," Corey told Mary.

"Bye," Mary told Corey before hanging up.

"So what was all the excitement about?" Lucy asked Mary once she was off the phone.

"We're in the championship!" Mary told her sister excitedly.

"That'sawesome," Lucy said.

"So what's going on at 5:00 tonight?" Lucy asked her sister after a few moments.

"I have practice, and I was thinking that you could cover for me one last time," Mary said in a pleading voice.

"Oh no, I am not covering for you," Lucy told her sister.

"Please, I promise I'll never ask you to cover for me again," Mary begged her sister.

"But Mary, you can't go to practice, the doctor told you no strenuous physical activity for three weeks," Lucy told her sister in a pleading tone.

"But Luce, I have to, we made the championship, and I haven't practiced in three days. Can't you cover for me please?" Mary asked Lucy hopefully.

"The last time I covered for you, you got hurt and I got in trouble," Lucy said,

"I mean, what if you get hurt again? I can't let that happen," Lucy told her sister.

"Please Luce, come on, do this for me, I am your sister," Mary pleaded.

"Fine, but only because you're my sister and I love you," Lucy told Mary reluctantly.

"Thanks Luce, you're the best," Mary said, hugging her sister.

"You owe me you know," Lucy told Mary after a few moments.

"I know, I owe you everything," Mary told Lucy.

"Wait a minute, how are you going to get to practice without Mom and Dad knowing that you're actually going to practice?" Lucy asked Mary.

"I have a plan," Mary told Lucy with a mysterious grin.

"Great, another one of your wacky plans," Lucy said, rolling her eyes at her sister.

"I'll just get Matt to take me. It will be perfect," Mary told her sister.

"And how exactly are you going to do that?" Lucy asked.

"I'll just tell him that I have a team meeting, he'll take me," Mary told Lucy.

"And how are you getting home?" Lucy asked Mary a few moments later.

"Matt. And when I get home I'll just sneak quietly into the house like nothing happened," Lucy told her sister.

"What do I have to do?" Lucy asked; knowing that Mary would want her to do something. She always does when she has one of her "wacky" plans.

"You have to make sure that Mom and Dad don't suspect anything," Mary told Lucy.

Just then, Matt came into Lucy and Mary's room.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Matt asked his sisters.

"Nothing," Mary and Lucy both replied.

"Okay than, I just wanted to check and see how Mary was feeling," Matt said.

"I'm fine," Mary told her older brother as he started to leave.

"Matt," Mary said.

"Yeah," Matt said, turning around to face his sister.

"I have a team meeting at 5:00 tonight, can you take me?" Mary asked him.

"Sure, no problem," Matt told Mary.

"Thanks Matt," Mary told him. With that, Matt left the room.

"That was way too easy," Mary told Lucy after Matt was out of sight.

Just then, Mrs. Camden appeared in the doorway of the girls' room.

"Hi Mom," both Lucy and Mary greeted their mother.

"I thought I told you two no phone as part of your punishments," Mrs. Camden told her daughters sternly.

"But Mom…the call was important," Mary urged.

"And I was just answering the phone for Mary," Lucy told her mother.

"I don't care, no phone means no phone period. Lucy as you probably already guessed you are now ground for two months and Mary you are now grounded for a month," Mrs. Camden told them.

"But Mom, that's not fair," Lucy wined.

"I think it is plenty fair," Mrs. Camden said, as she left the room.


	12. Basketball Practice Or Team Meeting?

**_Chapter 12_**

"Mare, you ready?" Matt asked his sister, who was in her room doing her homework. _It is time to leave already, _Mary thought to herself.

"Umm, sure. I'll be ready in a sec," Mary told her brother hesitantly.

"Okay, meet me in the car," Matt told Mary before leaving. Matt could tell that Mary wasn't telling him something but ignored the fact. When Matt came down the stairs, his mother greeted him.

"Hey Matt."

"Hi Mom," Matt told his mother as he took the keys off the kitchen counter.

"Where are you going?" Mrs. Camden questioned her son.

"I am taking Mary to her team meeting and then I thought that I would go to the library to study for a while," Matt told his mother.

"What? Mary didn't say anything about a team meeting," Mrs. Camden told her son. With that, Matt headed toward the back door when his mother stopped him.

"Matt?" Upon hearing his name Matt turned around to face his mother.

"Would you mind picking up a few things at the supermarket for me?" Mrs. Camden asked her son, handing him the shopping list.

"No problem," Matt responded.

"Thanks Matt," Mrs. Camden said. With that, he went to the car to wait for Mary. After Mary had gotten ready, she went to go and find Lucy.

"Luce, I am leaving," Mary told her sister.

"Bye," Lucy told her. With that, Mary headed to the car.

A few minutes later, Matt saw Mary come out the front door and walk towards the car.

"You ready?" Matt asked his sister.

"Yep," Mary responded as she climbed into the front seat.

"So, what is this team meeting about?" Matt asked Mary as he turned on the car and backed out of the driveway.

"Umm," Mary hesitated, "Coach Cleary needs to talk to us about something important," Mary told her brother.

"And this something important would be?" Matt urged.

"I don't know," Mary told Matt, not sure of what to say.

"What time is this team meeting over?" Matt asked Mary after a few moments.

"7:00," Mary told Matt.

"Wow! The something that Coach Cleary has to talk to you about must be really important," Matt said, surprised that the meeting was lasting that long.

"Yeah, I guess," Mary told her brother. A few minutes later, Matt reached the high school.

"I'll be back at 7:00 to pick you up, I am going to the library for a little while," Matt told his sister as she got out of the car.

"Okay, bye," Mary replied. Matt watched as Mary walked into the school building and noticed that she was carrying her duffel bag for basketball. _What does Mary need her basketball duffel bag for?_ Matt thought to himself. He knew something was defiantly going on, but he snapped back to reality and sped away from the high school towards the supermarket.

Meanwhile, inside the high school, Mary walked towards the gym. When she got there she saw that some of her teammates were warming up while they waited for practice to start.

"Ten more minutes," Coach Cleary announced. Mary knew what that meant, it meant that she only had ten minutes to be changed and warmed up before practice started. Mary rushed into the locker room and quickly changed. With five minutes to spare before practice started, she shot around for a little while.

When the five minutes were up, Coach Cleary blew the whistle that was wrapped around his neck to single the start of practice. The girls quickly put the balls away.

"As you probably all know we made the championship," Coach Cleary told the team, "which means we are going to have to practice extra hard and more often," Coach Cleary continued. At that moment, groans were heard throughout the gym.

"And I expect each and every one of you to work as hard as you can and put forth your best effort," Coach Cleary told the girls.

With that, Coach Cleary blew the whistle again.

"Okay, gets go, laps," Coach Cleary told the girls. With that, all the girls started to circle the gym. Mary immediately noticed how much it hurt to run. _What was I thinking, I can't do this. I can barely walk. _Mary thought to herself. Just then, Mary's teammate Corey came jogging up beside her.

"Hi Camden," Cory said. There was no answer.

"Camden," Corey said again.

"Oh, hi Corey," Mary said snapping out of her thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Corey asked Mary. "Yeah, I'm fine," Mary told Corey.

"So are you excited about the championship?" Corey asked Mary after a few moments.

"Yeah, I just can't believe that coach Cleary is making our practices more intense," Mary told Corey.

"I know, I can't believe him!" Corey told Mary. Just then, Coach Cleary blew his whistle.

"Okay, man roll, lets go, two lines," Coach Cleary said. _Good_, Mary thought to herself as she and Cory walked towards the coach. Mary's side was hurting and she was tired of running.

"Camden, Conway, keep running," Coach Cleary said when Mary and Corey started to come toward him. _Oh man, he heard us_, Mary thought to herself as she and Corey continued running.

After what seemed like forever, coach Cleary called Mary and Corey over to where they were still doing man rolls. _Finally_, Mary thought to herself. Her side was killing her.

"Camden, you're up," Coach Cleary told Mary. Mary rolled the ball to her teammate and she picked it up as Mary moved closer to guard her.

"Stay with her Mary," Coach Cleary said as Mary started to slow down. Mary picked up her pace and started to move faster.

"Good Mary, nice job," Coach Cleary told her.

"Conway, your next," Coach Cleary said after Mary was done.

After Corey was done, Coach Cleary blew his whistle.

"3 on 2, lets go." With that, the girls formed three lines while two girls hoped on defense. Mary took the ball and passed it to Corey. Corey took a shot and missed. Mary grabbed the rebound and put the ball though the hoop.

"Nice hustle Camden," Coach Cleary shouted. Mary then headed to the back of the line and waited for her turn. When Mary's group was up again, Corey was on defense. Mary got a pass from Nikki and fired a three pointer from the left wing. Mary misfired and Diane grabbed the rebound over Corey. Diane put back the shot and the ball caromed off of the backboard and through the basket.

"Camden, I need you to hit that shot come championship time," shouted coach Cleary. Mary disgusted with herself hopped on defense. Coach Cleary then blew the whistle and told the girls to go get drinks.

"Lay ups, lets go," coach Cleary said. Mary stepped in line and received the pass from Corey. Mary dribbled in and shot the lay-up. Nikki went in to get the rebound. A few minutes later, Mary was going in for the teams' tenth straight lay-up; Mary took three dribbles and lofted the ball towards the basket. The ball bounced off the rim and landed on the gym floor. Coach Cleary blew his whistle and shouted, "Get on the line." The team found themselves running sprints because of Mary's missed lay-up.

After the girls finished running lines, coach Cleary blew his whistle and shouted, "Everyone in." Relieved that practice was finally over, Mary trotted over to where couch Cleary was standing. She tucked the ball that she was holding under her arm and shifted her weight, as she and her teammates listened carefully to what their coach was saying.

"Nice practice girls. Practice is right after school tomorrow," coach Cleary told the team,

"Go change," coach Cleary finished. With that, the girls hustled to the locker room to go change.

Inside the locker room, Mary could hear her teammates talking about her. Mary quickly got changed and gathered all her stuff and left the locker room. Before she had a chance to head toward the doors leading to the outside of the school, couch Cleary stopped her.

"Mary!" Coach Cleary shouted. Mary turned to face her coach.

"Yeah coach?" Mary asked.

"Be here at 6:30 tomorrow morning. We have practice," coach Cleary told Mary.

"But, I thought that practice was right after school," Mary said, confused.

"It is, but you and I are going to work one on one. I need you to be your best come championship time," Coach Cleary told Mary.

"Okay coach, I'll be here," Mary told coach Cleary before continuing towards the doors that lead to the outside of the high school.

Once Mary got outside, she started to cry. She could not get the idea of her teammates talking about her in the locker room out of her mind. She spotted Matt's car, but before heading towards the car, she wiped away the tears that were streaming down her face. Once Mary got to the car, she threw her duffel bag in the back and hopped in the front seat.

"What's wrong?" Matt asked his younger sister, as he pulled away from the high school.

"Nothing, I am fine," Mary sniffled. "No your not, tell me what's wrong," Matt urged.

"I don't want to talk about it," Mary told her brother.

"Okay, but if you change your mind I am ready to listen," Matt told his sister as they pulled into their driveway.

Mary got out of the car and grabbed her stuff and hurried inside, making sure that no one heard her enter the house. Once she was sure that no one had heard her, she tiptoed up the stairs to her room. When she reached her room, she found Lucy listening to music and singing along with the lyrics. When Lucy saw Mary, she went over to her stereo and shut off the music. "

How was prac-?" Lucy started to ask Mary when she noticed that she was crying.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked Mary, sitting down on the bed next to her sister.

"I don't want to talk about it," Mary sniffled.

"Okay, but if you want to talk I am ready to listen," Lucy told Mary as she got up and left, leaving Mary by herself. As soon as Lucy left, Mary buried her face in her pillow and continued to cry.

Lucy made her way down to the kitchen where she found Matt eating his dinner.

"Do you know what's up with Mary?" Lucy asked her brother.

"She won't talk to you either?" Matt asked his sister.

"She's upstairs in her room crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said that she didn't want to talk about it," Lucy told Matt.

"I got the same response," Matt told Lucy.

"Well, I just hope that whatever it is, that she tells us soon," Lucy said.

"Give her time, she will," Matt said as her got up and put his plate in the dishwasher. With that, he left the room and Lucy went back upstairs.

On Lucy's way upstairs, she passed Mary in the hallway.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked Mary, noticing that she was limping.

"I said that I didn't want to talk about it."

"I wasn't talking about that, why are you limping?" Lucy asked her sister.

"Oh that, my knee is bothering me," Mary said as she started to go down the stairs.

"Oh," Lucy responded.

"If you choose to tell me what's going on, the offers still open. I'm always here for you Mary," Lucy told her older sister.

"Thanks Luce, I am always here for you too." With that, Mary started to make her way downstairs.

Once she got downstairs, she found her dinner in the refrigerator and unwrapped the plastic wrap that it was wrapped in and popped it in the microwave. After her dinner was warmed up, she took it out of the microwave, got some silverware out of the drawer, and headed towards the living room where she thought that she would watch some TV.

When she got there, she found Matt sitting on the couch watching something.

"Can I watch TV?" Mary asked her older brother.

"Sure, but only if you tell me what's going on," Matt told his sister.

"Please Matt," Mary said as he sat down next to her brother.

"Look Mary, you're my sister and I care about you. I want to know what's wrong. You were crying when I picked you up and Lucy told me that you were up in your room crying earlier. Come on, please tell me what's wrong," Matt said.

"Fine if you need to know that bad, I was crying because my knee is bothering me," Mary told her brother, half-lying.

"Well, maybe you should start wearing your knee brace again, you know for more support," Matt told his sister.

"Good idea, I'll go put it on right now," Mary said getting off the couch. As Mary got up to get off the couch, a pain shot through her abdomen where her stitches were.

"Ouch," Mary said.

"Are you okay?" Matt asked his sister.

"Yeah, I am fine," Mary reassured her brother.

"Are you sure?" Matt asked. "Yeah," Mary said as she left the room to go to her bedroom.

Once Mary got to her bedroom, she started rummaging through her stuff trying to find her knee brace.

"What are you looking for?" Lucy said, looking up from her homework.

"My knee brace, have you seen it?" Mary asked.

"No, maybe it's in your duffel bag," Lucy told her sister. With that, Mary went to her closet and found her duffel bag. Sure enough it was in there. She had put it in there that day when she had gone to practice. She took it out of her duffel bag and sat down on her bed to put it on. When she sat down, the shooting pain that she had experienced before had returned.

"Ouch," Mary said.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked her sister, as she got up, walked over, and sat down on her bed across from her.

"It's my stomach. I keep getting this shooting pain where my stitches are every time I bend," Mary told her sister, as she slipped her knee brace on.

"Was that why you were crying earlier?" Lucy asked Mary.

"Yeah," Mary told Lucy.

"I knew that I shouldn't have gone to practice," Mary said to herself in frustration.

"I could have told you that. In fact, I think I did tell you that," Lucy told her sister in a smart aleck tone.

"Okay, Okay, I'll admit it. You were right, I shouldn't have gone to practice, happy?" Mary told her sister in an angry tone.

"Much," Lucy said as she got up to leave the room to go downstairs.

On her way downstairs, she passed Matt's room and noticed him doing homework.

"Matt can I talk to you?" Lucy asked, poking her head in her brother's room.

"Sure Luce, what about?" Matt asked his sister.

"Mary," Lucy said as she shut the door so that Mary would not hear her.

"Okay, what about Mary?" Matt asked.

"Well, you know how earlier Mary was crying and you asked her what was wrong and she said that she didn't what to talk about it?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah," Matt said remembering the conversation earlier.

"Well, I know why she was crying," Lucy told him.

"She was crying because her stomach is hurting her," Lucy told Matt.

"You mean from the surgery?" Matt asked, confused.

"She said that every time she bends she gets a shooting pain in her stomach where her stitches are," Lucy told him.

"Thanks for letting me know. I am going to talk to Mary right now," Matt told Lucy.

"You can't. If she knows that I told you she'll never forgive me," Lucy said stopping her brother.

"Lucy, I need to talk to her, something is obviously wrong and I need to find out what. You are a great sister and Mary is lucky that you are looking out for her," Matt told Lucy.

"Thanks Matt," Lucy said as he started to leave the room. With that, Matt left the room and headed towards Mary's room while Lucy headed downstairs to let her brother and sister have some privacy.

Once Matt had reached Mary's room, he knocked on the door.

"Can I come in?" he asked through the door.

"Go away," he heard a muffled voice say. He ignored his sisters' response and entered anyway.

"Please talk to me," he said peeking his head inside the door.

"Why are you crying?" Matt asked his sister walking all the way inside the room.

"I already told you, my knee is bothering me," Mary told Matt in an annoyed tone. She hated the fact that Matt had to know every little detail of her life. She wishes sometimes that he would just act like her brother instead of her parent.

"No, I think that's not all that's bothering you," Matt urged.

"What?" Mary asked confused.

"I think that there is something else," Matt said.

"Okay, Okay, my stomach is hurting me," Mary confessed.

"And that was why you were crying earlier," Matt stated.

"Yes, how did you know, did Lucy tell you?" Mary asked her brother.

"No," Matt lied, "I just had a feeling that there was something else going on besides the fact that your knee was hurting you," Matt said.

"So what do you mean exactly when you say that your stomach is hurting you?" Matt asked curiously.

"I mean that every time I bend I get this shooting pain where my stitches are," Mary explained to her brother.

"Let me see," Matt said indicating for Mary to lift up her shirt to see the incision. Mary lifted up her shirt to let her brother look. When Matt did so, he noticed that Mary had not taken the bandage off yet. He also noticed that the skin around the bandage was really red.

"Mary, can you take the bandage off so that I can see the incision?" Matt asked.

"Matt, the doctor said that I can't take the bandage off yet," Mary told him.

"It's okay, you can just put the bandage back on afterwards," Matt told her.

"Since when have you become such the doctor?" Mary asked Matt sarcastically. With that, Mary peeled back the bandage so that her brother could look at the incision. Matt studied the incision closely.

"Mary, your incision is infected!" Matt told his sister.

"You're not going to tell Mom and Dad are you?" Mary asked Matt in a weak voice.

"Mary, we need to get you to the hospital," Matt told her.

"No Matt, please don't take me to the hospital," Mary begged.

"But if I don't take you your incision could get worse," Matt urged, trying to change his sister's mind.

"I am not going and you can't make me!" Mary shouted at her brother, as she pushed him out of the room and slammed the door in his face.

Frustrated and hurt by Mary's words, Matt returned to his room to finish is homework, but he was having a heard time bring himself to do so. He instead decided that he would go down to the kitchen to find a snack. Inside the refrigerator, he found half of a left over turkey sandwich that he had eaten the day before. He took it out of the refrigerator and unwrapped it right when his mother came into the kitchen.

"Hey Matt," Mrs. Camden greeted her oldest son.

"Hi Mom," Matt said, a little startled.

"Are you okay? You look like something is bothering you, is it?" Mrs. Camden asked Matt.

"Nothing's wrong, nothing at all," Matt said before heading back upstairs with the sandwich still in his hand. As Mrs. Camden watched her son turn on his heels and head back upstairs, she rolled her eyes; she know that something was missing from the conversation she had just had and she was going to find out what.

Once Matt returned back upstairs, he went to his room to finish his homework. He was about to start his homework again when Mary entered, holding a piece of paper in her hand.

"Will you sign this?" Mary asked Matt, thrusting the piece of paper into his hands.

"And what is this?" Matt asked.

"It's a note for me to get out of study hall tomorrow to practice," Mary told her big brother.

"Do Mom and Dad know about this?" Matt asked Mary, curiously.

"No," Mary admitted.

"And you want me to go behind Mom and Dad's backs and sign this for you?' Matt asked.

"Yes, please Matt," Mary begged.

"I don't think so, you know that you're not allowed to play basketball yet," Matt told his little sister firmly.

"Please, I am begging you," Mary pleaded once more. Matt reluctantly took the piece of paper, signed his signature on it, and returned it back to Mary.

"Thanks," Mary said taking the piece of paper from her brother before exiting the room. Once Mary had left, Matt leaned back in his chair and sighed, for he knew that what he had done was not something a minister's son would have done-he hated acting that way.

Later that evening, Mrs. Camden went upstairs to do her usual bed check, while her husband was finishing with some last minute church work before coming up to join her. She quietly made her way down the hallway, poking her head into the room that Simon and Ruthie both shared. She found them both sleeping peaceful and smiled at the sight of her two youngest children. She then, quietly closed the door and headed to the next room. Once she arrived, she quietly opened the door to the room that Mary and Lucy shared, to find both her eldest daughters' sound asleep. It was a beautiful sight.

With that, she quietly closed the door and headed towards the last room, which happened to be Matt's. She opened the door quietly, expecting to find her eldest son sound asleep, but to her surprise, he was still up.

"What are you stilldoing up?" Mrs. Camden asked him.

"Just finishing some homework, big test tomorrow," Matt told his mother.

"Did you want something Mom?" Matt asked.

"Come to think of it, I did have one question," Mrs. Camden said, but paused before continuing.

"Okay, I'm listening, shoot," Matt told his mother.

"What was all the distraction about in the kitchen when I talked to you earlier?" Mrs. Camden asked.

"I guess that I was just worried about the test tomorrow, that's all," Matt said, coming up with the most believable excuse he could think of.

"Okay, well don't stay up to much longer. Your father and I are going to bed and your bother and sisters are all in bed. Besides, you need your rest," Mrs. Camden told Matt.

"Okay, I won't. I love you."

"I love you too Matt," Mrs. Camden said before exiting the room and heading to bed herself.

The next morning, Mary woke up at 5:30, since she had to be at practice at 6:30. She quietly got out of bed and slipped on her robe that was laid neatly across the back of the chair in the corner of the room. She then, exited the room quietly, being sure not to disturb Lucy and headed towards the bathroom to take a shower.

After Mary was finished taking a shower, she quietly returned to her room where Lucy was still sleeping. She struggled to find a shirt and a pair of sweatpants in the dark, but managed with the little sunlight that was shining through her window. She tried quietly to get dressed, but was unsuccessful.

"Mary?" she heard her sister's voice say.

"What are you doing up? It's 5:30 in the morning," Lucy said, looking at the alarm clock located on the night table in-between the two beds.

"Shh, go back to sleep," Mary whispered, ignoring her sister's question. Without protesting, Lucy laid her head back on her pillow and closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.

After Mary had finished getting dressed, she tiptoed down the dark hallway to Matt's room. She quietly opened the door and tiptoed inside the room.

"Matt," Mary whispered. No answer.

"Matt," Mary tried again, louder. Still no answer.

"Matt," Mary tried once more, walking closer to the bed.

"What?" Matt grumbled, wondering who wanted him at this hour.

"Get up, you need to take me to school." Mary told her brother.

"Okay, Okay," Matt said rolling out of bed. Mary quietly exited the room and headed downstairs to the kitchen to have some breakfast.

Mary quietly tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen, making sure not to make a sound. Once she had descended down the stairs and into the kitchen, she felt her way for the kitchen light. Once she had successfully found it, she turned it on. She was surprised to find her father sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee.

"Dad!" Mary said a bit surprised.

"Mary," Reverend Camden asked, also surprised by his daughters' sudden appearance.

"What are you doing up so early, are you having trouble sleeping?" Reverend Camden asked her.

"Yeah," Mary lied.

"Well do you want to talk about it?"

"No thanks. I think I'll just go back upstairs to my room," Mary told her father as she grabbed an apple out of the fruit basket and made her way back upstairs.

Once she had returned to her room, she was surprised to find Lucy up and getting ready.

"What are you doing?" Mary asked her little sister. Lucy jumped at the sound of her older sister's voice.

"I heard some voices in the kitchen and I figured that I'd go downstairs and make sure everything was okay," Lucy said.

"Don't worry about it, me and dad were just talking," Mary told her.

"He's up at this hour?" Lucy asked, amazed.

"Yeah, he was in the kitchen lost in thought, drinking coffee when I went down there," Mary said, stopping from time to time to take a bit of apple.

"Why are you wearing sweats?" Lucy asked, noticing what her sister had on.

"Oh, I have practice…in a half an hour. I have to get going," Mary said, noticing the time on her alarm clock. She quickly left the room to go find Matt, who the last she knew was getting ready.


	13. An Early Morning and An Even Longer Day

**_Chapter 13_**

Mary quietly approached Matt's bedroom, only to notice that the door was closed.

"Matt, hurry up. I need to be there in fifteen minutes," Mary shouted through the closed door.

"Would you keep it down, there are nine people in this house, seven of which are sleeping," Matt told his sister, walking out into the hall.

"Six actually," Mary confessed, "Lucy's up." Just then, Lucy came out into the hallway dressed.

"Can I go with you?" Lucy asked her brother and sister.

"Go where?" Mrs. Camden asked; she was woken from all of the commotion in the hallway.

"Nowhere," Lucy quickly said.

"And where are you two going?" Mrs. Camden asked, eyeing both Matt and Mary.

"I was just going to the library to study some more," Matt told his mother.

"And I was just going to the library with Matt to work on a project for school," Mary said, thinking fast.

"Fine, go," Mrs. Camden said, too tired to argue. With that, Mary and Matt went on their way, while Mrs. Camden followed.

"Where are the children off to this early in the morning?" Reverend Camden asked as he watched his two eldest children race out the front door.

"Matt said that he needed to go to the library to study for a test and Mary said that she had to go with him to work on a school project," Mrs. Camden told her husband.

"And do you believe them?" Reverend Camden asked suspiciously.

"Well, Matt I believe, but Mary… Our children are very bad liars," said Mrs. Camden.

"It's that obvious?"

"Oh, yeah," Mrs. Camden replied. With that, they both burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, across town at Kennedy High, Matt headed to the library, as did Mary. She didn't want Matt suspecting anything different; she would just sneak off to the gym later. Mary checked her watch, "6:20", she had to be at practice in ten minutes, but first she needed to come up with a good excuse to leave the library, and fast!

Mary quickly went to the many shelves of books and started picking out random books. She needed to at least make it look like she was doing research for a school project, because the truth was there was no school project. After she had gathered a number of books from the shelves, she went over to a table and sat down. She then proceeded to open the book and start reading, glancing over at her brother from time to time to see if he was watching her. As she read who knows what, she tried to think of a ligament excuse. _I could say that I need to use the bathroom_, Mary thought to herself- _no that would be too obvious and Matt would knew that something weird was going on then_.

"Think Mary, think," Mary quietly whispered to herself, as she rattled her brain for more ideas. She was having no success and she had to be at practice in three minutes, Mary realized as she checked her watch. Yikes she needed to think of something and fast!

_Maybe, just maybe, I can sneak out without Matt noticing. Yeah, that will work, there are so many people that Matt won't even notice that I am gone_ Mary finally decided. With that, she quietly gathered her books and book bag that rest on the back of the chair in which she was sitting. She started to make her way to the exit of the library, but she was too late. Matt had spotted her.

"Where are you going? I thought that you were going to work on your school project," Matt said.

"I did and now I think that I am going to go and walk around for a while and then head to class," Mary told her brother, coming up with the quickest answer she could think of.

"Fine, I'll see you later," Matt told Mary.

"Yeah, later," Mary meekly responded, flashing her brother a fake smile. With that, she went on her way to the gym.

Once she got to the gym, she saw coach Cleary already waiting for her.

"Camden, there you are. Where have you been?" coach Cleary asked, once he heard Mary enter the gym; she was already five minutes late.

"Sorry I am late. I was working on a…" Mary started.

"Let's just get started," coach Cleary said firmly. With that, Mary set her stuff against the nearby wall and hustled over to where the coach was standing.

"First off, I want to start by having you just shoot around a little. Just for you to warm up. I want you to take about twenty-five shots," coach Cleary said. With that, coach Cleary bounced a ball to Mary, signaling for her to start. She then proceeded to take the 25 shots from all different areas of the floor and at different angles. Coach Cleary watched her closely and kept track of her shooting percentage.

"How did I do?" Mary asked, after she had finished.

"Well, you did pretty well considering how early it is," coach Cleary told Mary. Mary chuckled before continuing.

"And good for this early in the morning would be," Mary urged.

"Try, eighteen out of twenty-five," the coach told her.

"You're kidding me, really?" Mary questioned; she was really tired and was not concentrating much.

"Yeah. You did great," coach Cleary told Mary, as he patted her on the back, showing that he was proud of her.

Next, coach Cleary told Mary to stand at the free throw line and take about 100 shots.

"You're goal is to hit as close to one hundred shots as you can," he explained to Mary, as she stood at the free throw line with the basketball in her hands. With that, Mary got in the stance to shoot the ball and started to take all one hundred shots. As Mary shot, coach Cleary tallied her missed and made shots.

"Good effort, but your game's a little off. You only made forty out of one-hundred shots. That's not even half," coach Cleary told Mary, disappointed.

"Yeah, my game's been off lately. I haven't had much time to practice," Mary explained.

"Well, I want you to at least try and practice some more between now and championship time," coach Cleary told Mary.

"Sure, I'll try," Mary told him, even though she knew that it would be nearly impossible to do without someone seeing her and then questioning and lecturing her about how she's not allowed to play yet; she defiantly didn't want that to happen, but she'd try and practice non-the least.

Following, coach Cleary told Mary that she was to play "around the world", which meant that she was to take shots while circling around the perimeter of the three point line. Coach Cleary bounced the ball to her and she took the first shot, which she made.

"Good," Coach Claery told her, as he retrieved the ball and bounced it back to Mary once she had advanced to the next spot. Once she got the basketball, she took the second shot and made that one also.

"Nice job Mary," the coach commented. This went on for a while until Mary had gone around a total of three consecutive times. She managed to keep up her strong start by sinking all of her shots.

"Very impressive," coach Cleary commented, acknowledging Mary's good efforts and hard work. Mary, herself was beaming with a feeling of accomplishment. It felt good to know that her game wasn't totally off, only in certain areas.

"Okay, Mary, we are done for now because school's about to start," coach Cleary told Mary.

"Okay, thanks coach. I'll see you at practice after school," Mary told him, just to let him know that she had not forgotten that they had practice after school. She was glad that she was done because her side was really bothering her.

"Bye Mary," coach Cleary told her. Mary than gathered up her stuff that she had placed against the wall of the gym and headed towards her locker to get her books and be on her way to class.

Later that day, during her study hall, Mary gave the note that Matt had signed to her teacher and after giving her the go ahead, she headed to the gym to practice. She was going to concentrate on free throws, since she didn't do so well with them earlier, and then just practice her shooting. Once Mary had reached the gym, she went and found a basketball. Once she found a basketball, she started shooting around just to warm up. Halfway through, her side began to hurt her so she decided that she would rest for a few minutes. After she was feeling better, she decided that it was going to concentrate on her free throw shooting. She practiced for a while, and the next thing she knew the bell had rung to signal the end of class. Mary quickly put the basketball away in its respective spot and then headed towards her locker to get her books.

Just as she was about to get her books and then head to her last class of the day, the last bell rang. She was late for class AGAIN. That was the second time that week that she had been late for that class. She quickly hurried to class, even though she knew that it didn't make any difference; she was going to get ANOTHER tardy slip, in which she would have to get signed by her parents and as a result, she would get into more trouble then she already was. Once she got to class she quietly slipped in the door and took a seat, hoping that the teacher hadn't noticed she had arrived late.

"Nice of you to join us, Miss Camden," the teacher told Mary, as she handed her the second tardy slip that she had received that week. After Mary had taken the tardy slip from the teacher, she took a seat.

Finally, the bell rang, that signaled the end of class and Mary made a quick exit. She went to her locker to get her stuff that she needed to take home for that day. As she was putting her stuff into her book bag, Lucy approached her locker.

"Hey, how was school?" Lucy asked her sister.

"It was okay," Mary told her sister.

"And you?" Mary asked Lucy.

"It was good," Lucy told Mary.

"What's that?" Lucy asked her sister, noticing the piece of paper that was in Mary's hand.

"Oh, this, it's a tardy slip, my second one this week," Mary told her.

"Mom and Dad are going to freak," Lucy said.

"I know, that's why I am dreading showing it to them," Mary said, as she flung her book bag over her right shoulder.

"Look, I need to get to practice. Let Matt know that I will get a ride home and remember not a word to Mom and Dad about where I am," Mary told Lucy.

"Okay," Lucy said defensively. With that, Mary went on her way to the gym, while Lucy went to find Matt.

"Hey Luce," Matt said, once he spotted his sister among the crowd of other high schoolers.

"Hey," Lucy responded, giving her brother a weak smile.

"Where's Mary?" Matt asked her.

"Uh, she went to a friends' house to study," Lucy lied for her sister.

"Okay, well does she need a ride home?" Matt asked.

"She said that her friends' parents would bring her home," Lucy lied again.

"Okay, you ready to go?" Matt asked Lucy.

"Yeah," Lucy responded as she started to follow Matt towards the car.

All the while, in the gym, Mary and the rest of the Wildcat team were warming up, waiting for practice to begin. After about ten minutes of the team warming up, coach Cleary blew his whistle, to signal the start of practice. The girls' hustled to quickly put the balls away. After that, they all meet coach Cleary in the middle of the gym, where he would explain what they were expected to do at tonight's practice.

"I knew that we usually do drills during practice but today we are going to do something totally different," coach Cleary started.

"Instead, we are going to work on endurance. I want each of you to run two miles," coach Cleary told the team. At that moment, groans were heard throughout the gym.

"But first, lets start off by stretching," coach Cleary told everyone.

After the girls' had finished stretching, coach Cleary blew his whistle.

"Two miles, lets go," he shouted as they began running around the gym._I can't do this_Mary thought to herself. They hadn't been running that long and already her side was beginning to hurt her. How was she supposed to run two miles if her side hurt her? Just then, Corey ran up beside her.

"Hey Mary," Corey said.

"Hi Corey," Mary greeted her friend.

"What's up? You seem a little out of it," Corey told Mary.

"Yeah, I don't know what's up, I think it's from all this practicing," Mary said.

"Practicing?" Corey questioned.

"Yeah, I had to get up at 5:30 this morning because coach Cleary wanted to work with me for a while before school and then I practiced during my study hall," Mary explained to Corey.

"Wow, your going to be up to speed in no time if you keep practicing that much," Corey told Mary.

"I know. It's just I don't know how much physical activity I can handle right now," Mary stated.

"How are you doing?" Corey asked Mary.

"Well, as we speak, my side is killing me. I think it's because I am not supposed to be running and the fact that it's infected," Mary said.

"Why don't you tell coach?" Corey asked.

"I can't. I mean, basketball is my life. If it weren't for basketball, I don't know what I would do; I can't not play," Mary said firmly.

"I know what you mean, but it's different for me though. It's hard to be a teenage mother and play basketball at the same time," Corey said.

"I knew, but you sill do and on top of that you are a great mother," Mary told Corey.

"Thanks Mary," Corey said, as they continued running.

After they had FINALLY finished running their required two miles, couch Cleary told them to go and get a drink and then to meet back in the middle of the gym. As soon as everyone was gathered in the center of the gym, he told them that they were to go and lift weights for a half an hour and then they were done with practice. Mary was not to fond with the idea of having to lift weights after she had just ran two miles, as was no one else. Mary's side was really hurting her and she knew that lifting weights would only make it hurt more. Beside the point, she did as she was told and lifted weights for a half an hour, even though the pain in her side when she finished was almost unbearable.

"Bye Mary," Corey told her friend, as she got ready to leave.

"Wait Corey, I hate to ask you this, but would you be able to give me a ride home? I told Lucy that I would get a ride home, so that Matt didn't have to come get me," Mary explained.

"No problem. Let me just call my mom quick and let her know that I'll be home a little later. She is watching Bernadette," Corey explained, as she reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. After Corey quickly called her mom, she and Mary headed towards Corey's car. The girls talked the whole way to Mary's house.

"Thanks Corey," Mary said, as she climbed out of the front seat of the car, swinging her backpack over her shoulder.

"No problem, see you tomorrow," Corey told Mary.

"Tomorrow? But tomorrow's Saturday?" Mary questioned.

"Yeah, but the tournament game is tomorrow," Cory said, astonished by the fact that Mary had forgotten about the game that weekend.

"Oh right," Mary said, as she smiled weakly at her friend, "see you tomorrow than," Mary said, as she shut the door to the car and waved good-bye. She had just made a complete idiot of herself; she was so embarrassed, how could she have forgotten the most important game of her high school basketball career?


	14. The Cold Shoulder and The Game

**_Chapter 14_**

Mary opened the gate that lead into the backyard, only to be greeted by her father, who was taking out the trash. Mary started to walk past her father, without making eye contact with him.

"Mary," Reverend Camden said.

"Yeah Dad," Mary said, turning around and looking up at her father.

"Are you angry about something? I mean, is something wrong?" Reverend Camden asked his daughter.

"Nothing's wrong, I am fine," Mary said, as she made her way into the house. As Reverend Camden watched his oldest daughter, he could tell that she was not fine and that she was not telling him something.

Once Mary entered the house, she made her way upstairs to her room. She hoped that Lucy wasn't there because she wanted some time to herself. But just to her luck Lucy was there, doing her homework.

"Get out," Mary told her sister rather rudely. She was no mood to have a conversation.

"Why do I have to leave?" Lucy asked.

"Because I said so, now leave," Mary said, pointing towards the door.

"Fine, I'll go do my homework some place else," Lucy said as she gathered her books and left the room. After Lucy left, Mary started to cry; her whole body hurt and all she wanted to do was sleep.

Meanwhile, Lucy made her way towards Matt's room hoping that she could study in there.

"Hey, I thought you were doing your homework in your own room," Matt said once he noticed Lucy.

"I was, but SOMEBODY kicked me out," Lucy told her brother, angrily.

"Let me guess, Mary," Matt said.

"Yes Mary, she's driving me crazy. She won't speak to me and the one time I actually want to talk to her, she kicks me out," Lucy told Matt.

"She has been avoiding everybody lately," Matt agreed.

"It seems like ever since I tried to talk to her the other day, she's been avoiding me," Lucy told her brother.

"Well, Mary's behavior isn't entirely your fault, I tried to talk to her the other day and she pushed me away too," Matt explained.

"I think that the best thing for both of us to do right now, is to just let Mary tell us what is going on when and if she decides to tell us in her own way and in her own time," Matt continued.

"I guess your right. It's just, I hate her being mad at me," Lucy told Matt.

"I hate it too," Matt agreed. "Do you mind if I finish my homework in here?" Lucy asked. "No, that's fine," Matt replied, as he started to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" Lucy asked.

"John and I are going to the pool hall to shoot some pool," Matt told Lucy.

"Oh, okay, thanks," Lucy told her brother. With that, Matt left the room while Lucy started on her homework.

As Matt made his way into the hallway, he happened to notice that Mary's bedroom door was open. He quietly made his way to her room and that was when he noticed his sister sound asleep. Matt quietly made his way inside Mary's bedroom and neared her bed. Next, he took the blanket that was folded neatly at the foot of the bed and placed it over his sister's limp body.

"I love you," he mouthed, as he stroked Mary's long brown hair. With that, he exited the room, shutting the door behind him, and made his way downstairs. Once he was downstairs, he grabbed his car keys off the table in the front furrier and headed to his car.

Meanwhile, Lucy was in Matt's room doing her homework when she suddenly got very hungry. She decided to go down to the kitchen and retrieve a snack. When she entered the kitchen, she went to grab a snack out the refrigerator, when her mother entered.

"Hey Luce," Mrs. Camden greeted her daughter.

"Hi mom," Lucy said.

"You're hungry already? We only eat an hour ago," Mrs. Camden stated, noticing the food that Lucy had gotten out of the refrigerator.

"I suddenly got a craving, so I thought that I would come down here and get a snack," Lucy said, as she started to make her way back upstairs.

"Luce, where's Mary?" Mrs. Camden asked her daughter; she hadn't seen Mary since dinner.

"She's upstairs sleeping," Lucy answered.

"Okay, well I need to go to a PTA meeting and your father's at the church, so would you mind watching Simon and Ruthie?" Mrs. Camden explained and then asked.

"No, not at all," Lucy told her mother.

"Thanks," Mrs. Camden responded. With that, Lucy made the rest of the way up the stairs.

Once Lucy had made her way back upstairs, she returned to Matt's room. She looked around for her Algebra book so that she could start it, but was unable to find it anywhere. _I must have left it in my room_, Lucy thought to herself. With that, she started to retrace her steps. As she was walking down the hallway to her bedroom, she noticed a piece of paper lying on the floor. She picked it up, unfolded it and started to read the note. It read:

_Dear Lady Wildcats,_

_As you know we have made the championship. I am very proud of all of you. You have all showed great effort and commitment and each of you should be very proud of yourselves. The championship game will be against the Trojans at 7:00 PM on Saturday, January 5. _

_Sincerely,_

_Couch Cleary_

After reading the note, Lucy immediately, with the note still in hand, went to her bedroom to see what time it was. Once she got to her room, she glanced up at the clock, which read 6:00. _Yikes! Mary was already supposed be at the game. _Lucy rushed into her parents' room to use the phone, which happened to be the only other phone upstairs besides the one in her and Mary's room. She picked up the phone and frantically dialed the number to the pool hall, where she hoped Matt still was. The phone only rang one time before the manager, and friend of the Camdens' answered.

"Hello," he said.

"Is Matt Camden there?" Lucy asked him.

"Sure, hold on Lucy," he said. A few moments later, Matt got on the other end of the line.

"Matt, Mary's game is in an hour, we need to leave now!" Lucy told him.

"Okay, I'll be there in ten minutes, tell Mary to be ready when I get there," Matt told Lucy.

"Okay, we'll be waiting," Lucy said before hanging up.

As soon as Lucy got off the phone with Matt, she went into her room to try and wake up Mary. Once inside the room, she quietly approached the bed where her sister was sleeping peacefully, so peacefully in fact, that she hated to wake her up. But knowing that she had no other option, she went ahead and did so.

"Mary, wake up," Lucy whispered, tapping her sister lightly on the shoulder. Mary stirred slightly and rolled over. Lucy tried again, tapping her sister harder on the shoulder this time. Mary groaned loudly, not wanting to be disturbed.

"What?" Mary groaned.

"You need to get to your game," Lucy told her sister.

"My game," Mary said aloud, trying to recall what Lucy was talking about. Then suddenly, it occurred to her the championship game was today at 7:00 tonight.

"Shoot, the game," Mary said, frantically looking at the clock to see what time it was. The clock on the nightstand read 6:20.

"Luce, I am late," Mary told her sister, as she frantically gathered her jersey and shoes and stuffed them into her duffel bag. Just then, they heard Matt call their names from the bottom of the stairs.

"Thank you, you are a life saver!" Mary said, knowing that Matt was here to take her to her game. Mary started to make her way down to the bottom of the stairs, but stopped short when she noticed that Lucy was not following.

"Luce, come on," Mary urged.

"I can't, Mom asked me to take care of the Simon and Ruthie while she is at a PTA meeting," Lucy explained.

"Where is Dad?" Mary asked her sister.

"Dad is at the church," Lucy told her sister.

"Okay, well see you later," Mary told Lucy as she started downstairs.

"Yeah, good luck," Lucy yelled.

Once they had arrived at the school, Mary quickly gathered her stuff and went into the gym, as Matt went to find a parking spot. _I hope that I am not late for the game_, Mary thought to herself as she entered the gym. Luckily for her, the JV game was still going on with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter. She quickly made her way inside the locker room and quickly changed and put her long brown hair into a tight ponytail before joining the rest of the team right outside the entrance to the gym as the music that signaled the start of pre-game warm-ups started to play. Mary let out a sigh of relief; she had made it.

Meanwhile, at the Camdens', Lucy was doing her homework in her room, while Simon and Ruthie where playing quietly in their room, when the phone rang. She made her way over to the nightstand, picking up the phone and taking a seat on Mary's bed.

"Hello," Lucy said into the phone.

"Hi, this is the Glen Oak Community Hospital," Lucy heard the other person on the other end of the line say. Immediately, all these awful thoughts went through her head as her throat began to tighten and she felt as if she was not able to breathe. Was it Mary, Matt, her Mom or Dad? She was not sure; she was not paying attention to the words of the person on the other line as they continued to talk. She kept thinking of all the possible things that could be wrong and the next thing she knew, she heard the sound of the line go dead and she was left not knowing what was wrong.

She immediately hung up the phone and dialed Matt's cell phone number, knowing that he would have it on; he always took it with him when one of his siblings was home by themselves, or babysitting, just in case. After the second ring, Matt answered his phone.

"Hello," Lucy heard Matt say into the phone.

"Matt," Lucy said; Matt immediately knew that his sister was scared for some reason or other.

"Lucy, what's wrong? Are you guys okay?" Matt asked, getting worried now.

"Matt, the hospital just called," Lucy told him.

"Well is everything okay, I mean is it Mom or Dad?" Matt asked, fear becoming evident in his voice.

"I am not sure, I got so scared after they said the word 'hospital' that I stopped listening and the next thing I knew the line went dead and I was left to wonder what was wrong and that is why I called you," Lucy said, all in one huge breath.

"Lucy, calm down. Mary and I are fine, have you tried getting a hold of Mom and Dad yet?" Matt asked Lucy.

"No," Lucy told her brother.

"Okay, well call Dad's beeper number and then call me back the minute you hear anything okay?" Matt explained and then asked.

"Okay thanks, bye," Lucy said as she hung up the phone.

The minute that Lucy got off the phone with Matt, she dialed the number to her father's beeper, praying that he had it on. A few minutes later, the phone rang. Lucy was relived to hear her father's voice on the other end.

"Dad," Lucy said.

"Lucy, I got your page, is everything okay?" Reverend Camden asked, suddenly nervous for his children's safety. Mrs. Camden listened intently to the conversation between her husband and her daughter, trying to find out what exactly was going on.

"Yeah Dad, everything is fine here. It's just that the hospital called a while ago and I started to get worried," Lucy told her father.

"Well, don't be, they were probably just calling to confirm the visit for tomorrow afternoon," Reverend Camden told his daughter.

"Oh," Lucy said, still a little unsure of the whole situation. Reverend Camden sensed his daughter's uneasiness.

"If it would make you feel better I will call the hospital back and then call you and let you know what is up," Reverend Camden told Lucy.

"Okay, thanks dad. Do you need the number to the hospital?" Lucy told and then asked her father.

"Yeah, that would be nice," Reverend Camden said. Lucy found the phonebook and started to look under "G" for Glen Oak Community Hospital. After finally finding the number she recited it to her father.

"Dad, the number is 555-8532," Lucy said.

"Okay, thanks Luce. Talk to you soon," Reverend Camden said before getting off the phone with his daughter.

"What were you talking to Lucy about?" Mrs. Camden asked her husband.

"The hospital called and Lucy got worried and that is why she paged me," Reverend Camden explained to his wife.

"Well, is everything okay with the kids?" Mrs. Camden asked him nervously.

"Everything is fine with all five kids. I have a feeling that the reason that the hospital called was to confirm Mary's appointment for tomorrow," Reverend Camden told his wife,

"I told her that I would call the hospital just to make sure and then I would call her back," he explained.

"Okay, she gave you the number right?" Mrs. Camden asked her husband.

"Yeah, it's right here," Reverend Camden said, showing his wife the piece of paper in his hand. They were at the Promenade eating dinner at a restaurant; they were waiting for their food.

"I'll be right back," Revered Camden told his wife, excusing himself from the table,

"I am going to call the hospital right now. I don't want to keep Lucy waiting for my call."

"Okay," Mrs. Camden said. With that, Reverend Camden went to make the call. After he was off the phone, he immediately called Lucy back.

"Hello," Lucy said in to the phone.

"Hey Luce," Reverend Camden greeted his daughter.

"Hi dad, did you figure out anything?" Lucy said and then asked her father.

"Well, I just called the hospital and you have nothing to worry about, my prediction was right," Reverend Camden told Lucy.

"So you mean that all they wanted was to remind Mary of her doctors' appointment tomorrow?" Lucy asked.

"Yep, that's all," Reverend Camden told her.

"Okay, well, talk to you later dad. I love you." Lucy told her father.

"Love you too. Your mother and I shouldn't be that much longer," Reverend Camden told Lucy.

"Okay, bye," Lucy said.

"Bye," Reverend Camden said before ending the call and returning to his table where he found his wife and food waiting for him.

Meanwhile, Lucy was calling Matt back. He finally picked up on the third ring.

"Lucy, did Dad know anything?" Matt asked his sister, before she even had the chance to get one word in.

"How did you know that it was me?" Lucy asked, confused.

"Because I told you to call me back, and you _always _listen to your older, wiser brother," Matt told his sister playfully.

"Shut up," Lucy said, teasingly.

"So what did Dad say?" Matt wanted to know again.

"He said that they were just calling to confirm Mary's doctors' appointment for tomorrow," Lucy told Matt.

"Okay, I'll let Mary know, thanks," Matt said, about to hang up. But before he had the chance Lucy cut in.

"Matt, how is the game going?"

"Good, the Wildcats are winning 23-14," Matt told her.

"And Mary?" Lucy wondered.

"Well, she hasn't gotten much playing time, this being her first game back, but she's doing okay I guess," Matt told his sister.

"Okay, just wondering," Lucy said.

"Okay, can I hang up now?" Matt asked Lucy.

"Yeah, see you when you get home,' Lucy told her brother.

"See you, and if you need anything don't hesitate to call me," Matt told his sister.

"I won't. Bye," Lucy said.

"Bye," Matt said, before ending his conversation with Lucy.


End file.
